Has he really changed ?
by NotSuchAPerfectLie
Summary: About twenty years after the end of the war, Draco Malfoy believes that he has truly moved forwards and found a way to make it up for his past, especially his role during the war. But then, someone tries to make it seem like this is all a mask, by trying to get him unfairly locked up in Azkaban for use of Dark Magic. What happens when Harry Potter, with his godson, investigates ?
1. A Big Day

Disclaimer : I don't own the characters you already know, they're JK Rowling's.

Chapter 1 : A big day

I, Draco Malfoy, ex-Prince of Slytherin, ex-Death Eater and now respected if not beloved potions Mater, decided that today I had to go to work, despite it being my usual day-off. We had a big delivery at the apothecary today and I didn't want to leave my two assistants alone to deal with it. I trusted them but I trusted myself more and it was a lot of work and two people clearly wouldn't be enough.

I opened the shop with my wand, put some of the protective wards down and let the ones signalling me any entrance in the shop, or other convenient wards for a shopper.

The shop was divided in three parts. On the front was the part where every potion ingredient, or ready-made potions that weren't dangerous were exposed for the customers to help themselves to buy. There were shelves on the right and left and one in the middle of the room, creating more space to place the merchandise. There was the counter and behind it, the other ingredients and potions, the ones that needed me or an employee to fetch them from the shelves to serve them to the clients because they were to dangerous. On the counter was a magical register and a heavy pile of parchment were was tediously registered every potion or ingredient that was sold to each customers. We needed to do that in case any of the clients had not really nice purposes for their purchases. Behind the counter and between the shelves was a door leading to a hallway with three other doors : one for the loo, one for the lab and one where we went for breaks or lunch. There was food, a stove, a kettle for tea and a couch with two comfy chairs, a coffee table in the middle on a forest green rug. Against the further wall was a desk with a chair. On the desk was the order form and everything planned for the ingredients that I would receive today. There was a large bookshelf full of potion books, that took almost an entire wall on the right of the room. If any of my employees had a question and that I wasn't there, they could always search for the answer in those books. I wanted them to become more and more independent. They were working here to become great.

That's why most of my assistants chose to work here and be trained by me : I was great at my job and everyone knew it and respected me for it despite my not so respectful past. Not that I didn't regret the part I had played during the War. I did regret it. Mostly because I never meant to do all I did but that I had to do it forced by the fear I had for Snake-face and what he could do to my mother. All I did was for her, to protect her. My father could go roast in hell, he was the one who got us in the situation we were because of his great ideology of Pure-Bloods supremacy that I idiotically chose to believe as a child. The worst in all of that is that I didn't even think about the fact that the one that people as my father chose to lead them was a Half-blood. That's totally hypocritical. But I did what he ordered me because I knew my mother would be the one to pay for my father's fault after me.

I realised after what is now called the Battle of the Ministry that I was wrong, had always been and that I couldn't keep acting as if I was better than half-bloods and muggle-borns. That's fucking bullshit, I thought the night I realised it lying on me bed, right after my father was sent to Azkaban. Three days later, the fucking and shitty Dark Lord called me to announce that I was to kill Dumbledore and I wasn't to fail or I would pay. Urgh, 'I would pay' ? It was more like 'I'll kill you and let your mother watch and then I'll take care of her fate'. That's why I did it. Not that I was proud of my actions, I can't really say that I put my best efforts at it at first. But then, Voldy became more threatening and I couldn't avoid it. Well, thanks to the great Saviour, the Golden Boy, the oh Chosen One and Boy-Who-Lived-Twice-And-Wouldn't-Fuckin'-Die got me a little more time by almost getting me killed. I don't really know if I should be thankful or kick his arse for my almost-murder...

Anyway, after Dumbledore died, I wasn't the same and even if I wasn't the one who killed him I couldn't prevent the guilt from eating me alive. But I had to keep a façade because Voldy Baby was living in my house. But even though I still appeared pompous and proud to everyone, I wasn't and school was hell, home was hell, and I knew that if somehow Potter and the Order managed to win this bloody war, it wouldn't be better : I was supposedly a Death Eater, I had the mark as a proof of it and I could say anything, I couldn't erase everything I did when I believed in my father's and Voldemort's idea and even after when I chose to protect my mother. I really thought that no matter what I was done.

But then Potter, the Weasel and the Know-it-all came in the picture and when I could've turned the golden boy to You-know-Who, I didn't. I knew if he still had a chance, I wouldn't take it away from him. Maybe my life was done, but the wizarding world really didn't need to be subjected to Voldemort's fucking reign.

That's that and my mother's action during the Final Battle that got us through the trial, when Potter testimoned in our favour despite our supposed allegiance to the Dark Lord. He prevented us from going to Azkaban. I was free, my mother on house arrest for two years. A large part of our money was taken to help rebuild Hogwarts and given to victims's families but I didn't care, it was my father's and I didn't want it. He went to roast to hell. The man who took my childhood, who kept my mother from being the mother she wanted to be, affectionate and loving, playing with me and reading me bed-time stories. The one who made me a fucking pawn to a maniacal and totally soulless psychopath just as he was.

But now, it's all the past, and I got on with my life and I can say that I'm happy. I've got a wife that I love, even if most people think I just married her because she's a Pure-Blood, and we've got an amazing son, Scorpius, who's thirteen, and brilliant in school. I've got a job that I love, the one I've always wanted to have and I'm respected for it, even if lots of people still don't want to have anything to do with the man I am, they still come to the potion master and that's all I ask for.

My two assistant, Sarah, a brilliant girl, barely out of Hogwarts, who ended up third of her year promotion and a muggleborn, and Oreste, a 24 years-old man, almost done with his training, arrived thirty minutes after, twenty minutes before the time they were expected. They both came in the rest room, looking excited.

'I can't believe it's today' said Sarah with a big grin on her face and her green eyes twinkling. 'I've never thought I'd actually be able to work with you, but that I'd actually be working with you on that ?! That's so... Oh, Merlin, I can't believe it'

I looked at her, and I couldn't stop the smile that came to my lips. She was brilliant, but always cheerful also. She was always in a good mood, it was really easy to work with her, even though, sometimes, you just wanted to tell her to calm down and stop being cheerful, especially when yourself were not in a good mood. But today, I had to admit that I was as excited as she was, however, I didn't show it.

'You know, maybe you should try to show you joy and excitement a little more obviously, you're expression isn't clear enough to me' Oreste said, smiling at her outburst too. They both got along really well and Oreste helped Sarah the best he could. Even more, Draco was sure that the man had a crush on the ever-joyful girl.

'Oh come on ! It's a great day ! Right, Mister Malfoy ?' She answered turning to me at her question.

'Yes, it is. And I hope that we will be able to find that cure soon.' I said as calm as always though I was sure that they both could see through it. The disease we wanted to cure was called the Submersam Vermis, it was microscopic viruses who strangely looked like worms that invaded someone lung and synthesize a greyish, viscous liquid that drowned the unfortunately contaminated person. The disease hadn't spread a lot so far, but there was still a certain number of people infested and the problem needed to have a solution soon, or else, loads of people would die.

'That would be so great for all those people !' she almost cried. Oreste, who was about to sit down on the red and poofy armchair stop and looked at her with a look saying 'Really, you're that cheerful ?' and then let himself down on the chair with a not so elegant 'thud'.

'Seriously, you both are just as excited as me, you don't have to look at me like that ! Anyway, do you want some tea ?' She asked, looking back and forth between Oreste and I. I nodded and smiled as to say 'please' while Oreste just said it.

'I was thinking' I said and they both looked up at me as one. 'I was thinking that if we could find a cure for the Submersam Vermis, we could use the money we'd earn to open a shop in Hogsmeade.'

They stared at me sceptically, obviously not getting my point.

'We could use a shop in Hogsmeade and well, Oreste you're almost at the end of you're training so, I could put you in charge of it. I would still look after you at first to make sure you don't poison anyone...' I gave him a smirk. He took it as it was meant, he smiled even though his eyes looked still shocked. 'But I think you'd do well on your own and you won't have to look for a job or a shop by yourself, and the reputation on this shop would help find quickly good and loyal customers.' I looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

'Of course, your pay would be a lot better than now, since you'd be a potions master.' I added as an after-thought.

He seemed totally lost and speechless. After a moment he finally found the use of his tongue again :

'That'd be great, sir, I would be honoured if you decided so !' He finally answered with a large grin on his lips.

'Fine' I said 'Then, it's decided, we work on the cure and then when you're done with your training, we open the shop in Hogsmeade.' I said smiling, feeling rather proud of my trainee.

A shift in the ward indicated that the delivery man had just arrived. I stood up from the chair at the desk where I sat down when I came to work on the experience planned for the cure. I got out of the room to the front of the shop, where three men were standing, with seven broad boxes at their feet. Bob, the man who did all the usual deliveries here, looked up when I got into the room and smiled at me with a knowing look in his eyes.

'So, Mister Malfoy, it's the grand Day ! Yeh finally got your ingredients, per'aps now yeh'll stop 'arassing me, hey ?' He laughed jovially.

'I was never harassing you, Bob, simply getting information about the welfare of the process that needed to be over as soon as possible. We are really eager to start working on this project.' I said politely, though I felt amused.

'O' Course, Mister Malfoy, o' course ! I know tha this is really important for yeh.'

'Yes, it is. If this works, it would help lots of people. Finding this cure would be great advances on healing, too. I cannot deny that I would love for it to be my team to find it. It would be good for the business too.'

'Righ'.' Bob said. 'Well, I'll let yeh look if anythin' is missin', or anythin' 'rong and then we'll let yeh and your assistants to your work.'

'Thank you.'

I looked through all the boxes and compared with the order form, although I knew the list by heart and I knew that everything was there. I thanked once again Bob and the two others delivery men and I called Oreste and Sarah. The latter was the first one to came in just as excited as before.

'Yes, sir ?' she questioned me.

'Would you both helped me getting this in the lab ?' I asked them. 'Then Oreste and I will start working, Sarah, I'll ask you to run the shop today, and there might to Sleeping Draught to finish today, I'd like you to take care of it too, if it's alright with you.'

'Oh, fine, sir' she answered disappointed.

'Miss Grey ? It doesn't keep me from calling you to observe when you have nothing to do, and of course, when we'll test it.'

'Thank you, sir, I know that it's really nice of you, considering that four months ago, I was still at Hogwarts...' She said smiling again.

'It's nothing, really. You're here to learn. How can you do so if I prevent you from doing anything that's more that what you know already ?'

Her smile broadened.

'You're really great, sir, no matter what people say.'

'Thank you, but, what people say is about things that happened when you weren't even born. There are reasons why people say those things, Miss Grey.'

'Now you're just trying to brag, showing that you're one of those bad guys who turned to be good, because they had a big epiphany...' she teased.

I laughed half-heartedly.

'Go to work, Miss Grey'

'Oh, now you're being bossy !' she said as though to complain, though her never stopping grin broke the effect.

'Miss Grey.'

'Yes, sir ?' she asked faking innocence.

'Now.'

'Yes, sir !'


	2. The annual inspection

Chapter 2

I had been working with Oreste to stock the delivered ingredients on the shelves in the lab for about two hours when Sarah came in the room to announce me that two Aurors were in the shop and wanted to talk to me.

'Fine. Sarah, please, could you stay here to help put everything in order ?

'Of course, sir.' she said looking at Oreste questioningly.

I went past her through the doorway and entered the shop. A man was leaning against the counter. A young man was standing behind him.

'Auror Savage.' I greeted. 'I guess this is the time for your inspection ?'

'Mister Malfoy' the soon-to-be-retired auror greeted back. 'Yes, it is. Though I'm sure that as always we will find nothing.' He smiled at me.

The inspections were a condition for me to become a potions master. Clearly, a reformed Death Eater wasn't one to be blindly trusted to be working on potions that he'll be selling to innocent people. I accepted, I never planned to break my promises to never break the law again for the dark arts, especially for a cause that wasn't even mine.

'This is a new one' Savage continued, pointing at the young man behind him. 'Auror Lupin.' He turned to the other auror. 'Teddy, this is Draco Malfoy.'

The younger man, probably barely out of training nodded to me but did nothing else. Surely one who learned bad stories about me from his parents. He looked at me straight in the eyes. I nodded back, trying to smile to find myself unable to. Something in his eyes made it really hard not to look away.

Savage, sensing the tension that I didn't entirely understand, cleared his throat.

'Okay, well, we'll proceed with the inspection now, Mister Malfoy. As usual we'll start with the lab and finish with the shop.'

I turned to look back at him.

'Of course, I'll come with you in the lab, we actually just received the ingredients to finally start working on a cure for ?, so we were very excited. We are putting everything on the shelves.'

'Really, you're working on that ? I didn't know.' Savage said.

'Yes, well I don't want people to know, because it's gonna be a long work and I don't wanna have loads of people breathing down my neck to find how much we've progressed.' I said politely.

'Yes, I understand, good luck on your work then. It would be great to finally have a cure, I heard that there have been another victim three days ago.' Savage said back.

'Thank you' I let them in the lab where Oreste and Sarah were finishing to tidy everything.

'Oreste, Sarah, there are Aurors Savage and... euh, I'm sorry what's your name, again ?' I turned to the younger auror.

'Lupin' he said quietly, still with the same piercing look.

'Oh my god ! ' I turned to see Sarah with the biggest grin I've ever seen plastered on her face.

'You're Teddy Lupin ! I'm Sarah Grey ! One of Dominique's friend, I guess you don't remember me, I wasn't the most talkative of her friends when you actually talked to us.' She said still with that impressive and aching-looking grin.

The Lupin guy looked at her, still unperturbed, as if there was no almost quite hysterical girl who nearly yelled his name.

'Yes, that's me. And yes, I remember you. Victoire always used to say that Dominique underestimated the importance of your friendship for her.' He finally said.

Great, I thought, I got the popular boy of Hogwarts to inspect my shop.

'Alright' I said as gently as I could. 'Well, Sarah you don't know it, but considering my past, the wizengamot accepted for me to become a potions master and have a shop as long as they could inspect the shop and won't find any traces of dark magic, so Aurors Savage and Lupin are gonna proceed to the inspection now.' I turned towards them. 'Do as you wish.'

'Right, Mister Malfoy' Answered Savage. 'Teddy you take the left of the room, I'll take the right. If you see anything you're not sure about, just call me, okay ?'

'Right.'

And with that they both went to their side and started. I turned to Sarah.

'Could you go back to the shop, someone just came in.'

'Sure, Mister Malfoy.' she said smiling and left the room to go behind the counter.

I went to the lounge to get the parchments with the list of experiences we would do for the cure. I had been working on them for a while when Sarah came back in the lab.

'Sir, there is a man who wants to buy aconite with moonstone and shrivelfig. I... I'm not sure why, though, so...' she said hesitantly.

'Do you think there might be a problem ?' I questionned her.

'Well, sir...' She stopped and looked kind of pleading.

'Do you know what those ingredients are used for mixed together among others ?' I asked her quietly.

'No, but the registering parchments glowed so I came to see you.' she answered truthfully.

I looked at her smiling. She was a really good assistant and after working with her for two months I knew that she hated these kind of situations. There was a silence in the room, during which she stared at me.

'They're used for Wolfsbane potion.' I heard from my right. It's the ingredients used for the wolfsbane, and it probably glowed because aconite is dangerous when badly prepared.' The piercing eyed man continued. I stared at him.

'Right' I said after a moment. I turned back to Sarah. 'The aconite is dangerous, even more in Wolfsbane, that's why it glowed. If the person buying those ingredients plan to make Wolfsbane, they have to have a certain level a potions. If not, it might turn really bad for them.'

'Alright' she said. 'So what do I do ? I can't asked them "hey do you plan to make wolfsbane with that so you won't eat accidentally your neighbour ?"'

'No, not like that.' I chuckled. 'I'll come with you, don't worry.'

I left the lab with her, and went to the shop. I went in and looked up at the man who was waiting at the counter. He seemed to be barely a little older than me, with greying hair and some deep lines on his face. But his eyes showed that he might be a lot younger actually.

'Good morning, sir' I said when I reached the back of the counter. 'My assistant informed me that you wanted to buy -' I looked down on the parchment, to look as though I didn't know exactly what he had intended to buy – 'shrivelfig, moonstone and aconite.' I looked up with a little smile. 'Since aconite is a dangerous ingredient when the potion involving it is poorly prepared, I need to know what is your level at potions, sir."

The man looked at me in the eyes. They were a strange brown, kind of yellow.

'I'm good at the potion I was planning to do, sir. I've done a formation to learn to do it perfectly. I do it myself because it is less expensive that way.'

'Alright' I said 'but since this is the first time you came here, I'll need to know what potion you plan to make and a proof that you can do it properly, this is the rule."

The man nodded with a sad smile on his lips.

'Fine, I'll come back with it, Mister... ?'

'Malfoy' I said extending my hand. The man took it and shake it.

'Right. I'll see you this afternoon then, Mister Malfoy.' He said politely.

'This afternoon.' I said smiling again.

The man left and Sarah looked at me with big eyes.

'Oh my god ! Was this man... was he a werewolf ?' she asked with fear in her voice.

'Yes, he was.' Replied a voice at the door. 'Well, is, actually, didn't healed from lycanthropy by passing those doors.'

It was Auror Lupin. And then a picture formed in my head. The picture of a shabby-clothed man with greying sandy hair. A man I haven't seen for more than twenty years. Since he died. Leaving an orphan behind him.

'He's a werewolf, Mister Malfoy and you just, you didn't even made sure of that ! Why ?'

'Because it is not for us to know, Miss Grey. Especially if this man is taking what is considered the top measure to make himself safe for the others.' I replied, though I was still staring at the auror.

I kept the staring for a while and then I decide that whose son that boy was wasn't my problem, and that it shouldn't matter.

'Is everything alright, Auror Lupin ?' I asked politely.

'Excuse me ?' He asked me with a kind of lost look.

'Is there anything wrong in the lab ?'

'Oh no, no everything's alright. I have finished there actually so I came to start here, that's all.'

'Okay, well I'll leave you to it then.'

'Fine.' He went to the front of the shop near the window.

I kept looking at him. He looked a lot like his father. He firstly had his hair, a lot less grey, however. He had the same amber eyes. That's when I wondered if he was a lycanthrope too.

I went back to the lab, crossed ways with Savage on the way. And kept on working until lunch. When I looked at my watch and saw that it was already one o'clock I decided that it was time for me to eat something and I went to the rest room. There I found out that Lupin was over with the shop too and was inspecting here. He was looking at the files.

'You know, every year, there's an inspection, most of the time performed by auror Savage and another one. And every year, nothing is found. Because I'm not the dark wizard I'm supposed to be. And I guess that your colleague told you not to be too harsh with me, because he thinks I'm a good person and that after fifteen years of inspecting my shop, maybe the ministry should finally come to the conclusion that they'll never find anything here.' I said staring at him. When he heard me, he looked up and then stared back at me.

'Yes, he told me so.' he replied, once again quietly.

'But you don't know if you should just believe him or not, right ?'

'I want to believe it, you know.' he said sincerely. 'I want to. Everything here is to prove that indeed you are not the one you used to be. But... I don't know, I heard so many stories about you and your parents from my grandmother, my godfather and his friends, that -'

'Wait, you heard stories about me ? By your grandmother, godfather,... What ?' I exclaimed astonished.

He stopped talking, like that. He looked at me with wide eyes, as if he knew he said something he shouldn't have.

'Well, yeah... I guess, you think it's all about my father that you assumed was Remus Lupin. But... My grandmother is Andromeda Tonks and she's your aunt. And my godfather, well, it's Harry Potter. So yeah, I've heard stories. Not really about you, but... involving you.' He hesitantly said, looking at his feet.

'So I... You...' I stuttered. 'We're related ?' I asked, gobsmacked.

'Yes, I'm your second cousin, or something. My mother was your cousin. Though I'm sure you've never met her. Or even heard about her...'

Then realisation hit me. I've heard about her. I even met her.

'I have.' I said without thinking.

He looked up again at me.

'You have ?'

'I heard of her when she married your father. You won't like it, but, Voldemort talked about it to my aunt Bellatrix and my mother. He used their marriage as an example to show that there were some part of our families that needed to be eradicated. I'm sorry... to say it like that. I don't believe in that. Even then I didn't, I stayed for my mother, to protect her. Well, I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't believe me, though.' I gave him a sad smile.

'I...' he started. 'I guess your family wasn't really overjoyed by my parents marriage. I know that your aunt actually did everything she could during a battle soon after the wedding.' he gave me the same smile. 'I know that she finally managed it at the Final Battle.'

'Yeah... I'm really sorry.' I hesitated to continue. And finally I chose not to.

'I guess that after my whole life not having my parents I kind of got used to it.'

We stayed silent a long moment. And then he went back to the files.

'Would you like some tea or anything ?' I proposed.

'Oh um, yeah, I'd like some tea, please.'

At that moment, Savage came in and asked Lupin if he'd found anything.

'No, nothing, everything's okay.'

'Yeah, well I told you so.' Savage replied with a bright smile.

'Would you like some tea, I was going to make some for Auror Lupin and myself ?' I asked him, sensing the tension in the younger auror.

'Sure !' He said still smiling, walking over to the red chair Oreste was sitting in this morning.

'Are you totally done or do you need to watch over somewhere else in the shop ?' I asked while putting the kettle on the stove.

'Yeah, we're done, at least I am.' replied Savage. 'What about you, Teddy ?' he continued turning to the sandy haired boy.

'Yes, I'm done, I've watched everything that needed to be looked over.' He said as he went to sit on the grey couch on the other side of the coffee table, opposite from Savage.

I smiled at him gently. I tried to forget any resemblance he had with his father, the guilt of how I've been with him flooding my mind. I can't even put my behaviour to my former DADA teacher on the fact that I knew he was a werewolf and that I was scared and acting like that as a defence mechanism : I Had no idea about his condition until Professor Snape let it leaked out the morning after the end of the exams. I was just a total jerk because he had shabby clothes and looked as though a gust of wind would actually knock him out. That and the fact that my father told me he knew him from school and that he didn't want Draco to look really high on him and not to stood as low as Potter would once he found out that the new teacher knew his father. No excuses, really. I was a thirteen year-old jerk. And I sometime still feel like it.

'Alright !' I went to get out three cups from the shelf where the cutlery and cups, plates and glasses where stored. I put them on the coffee table. One in front of both aurors and mine facing the second armchair. I sat down for the time, the water not boiling yet. I sat there not knowing what to say, the conversation with Lupin having let me kind of emotionally drained, thinking about the war and especially the Final Battle, which I still had nightmares about once in a while when I was really stressed out.

The kettle whistled letting me know the water was boiling, I gave a smile to the two men and went to the stove, picking the kettle up, came back to the table and filled up the cups. I put the kettle down in the middle of the table and sat back down, leaving my own cup on the table, for the tea to cool down a little.

'So, once again, I'll let my superiors know that everything's in order, no trace of dark magic are to be noted and that you can go on with your business. I really hope you manage to find a cure for the bloody disease. I spend my days worrying that my wife and kids will get it...' Savage said grimly.

'I really hope so too' I replied politely, picking up my cup to have to do something with my hands. I didn't know how to act around Lupin anymore. I looked up at him and found out that he was staring at his hands, seeming just as nervous as I felt.

No other words were said after that. Both aurors finished drinking their tea, and stood up as one, telling me they'll give their report and once again leave my shop alone until next year. Then I led them both at the entrance of the shop and wished them a nice day.

'You too, Mister Malfoy' replied Auror Savage, while Lupin barely gave me a nod and they left, walking down Diagon Alley to join the apparition point or the Leaky Cauldron. No matter, I went back into the shop, ate my lunch, and went back to work.


	3. An unwelcome event

Chapter 3

Three uneventful weeks past after that. November came with its coldness and was passing by alarmingly fast with all the work we had for the cure and all the customers coming in to have Pepper-Up potions and others to fight the low temperatures and the cold nose that went with it.

Oreste, Sarah and I had advanced on the cure, but still no exploitable results had been found. I spent all my days and most of the nights working on it, trying to find new leads, but nothing. Sure I didn't expect to already have a cure by now, although, I had thought that we would have something more, not just leads that we were sure were to be pushed aside.

Astoria was getting frustrated at me. With Scorpius gone to Hogwarts, she didn't have anyone at home the day, and now that I stayed at the lab, really late, most of the times after midnight has come and gone, she even had no one at dinner. However she understood that it was important for me, and of course for everyone, since the disease had affected ten more people and that three of them were dead and one that the Healers, though they wouldn't admit it to the press, didn't think he would make it through the next week.

Today was Saturday and it was eight o'clock. I had spend the day at work and Astoria came by, forcing me to come back home, telling me that working in the state I was wouldn't help.

'But, at least, I'm working !' I yelled. 'I have to work ! If I don't then, I'm not thinking it over, and I won't find a cure that way either, Astoria !'

She narrowed her eyes, and that glance meant a bad moment for me to pass.

'I would like you to come home for dinner tonight, and therefore you will. That's it. I won't let you spend another night, only coming home after midnight, looking like an Inferius ! Besides, you're job shouldn't be your only concern ! I'm your wife, you should be there for me too ! And you're not, no, all you do is thinking about that cure, and talking about that cure ! Even when you're home, you're not there, because your mind is still focused on that ! And I'm done with that, I won't take it anymore !'

She glared at me and I let down the quill I had in my right hand and the daisy roots I had in my left. She said I looked like an inferius ? Well, she looked like a harpie, right now, and it wasn't doing her good. She was just like when she was giving birth to Scorpius and was threatening to kill me for making her go through all that. That day, I was glad the Healers had taken her wand away from her when she came through St Mungo's doors, because I knew she would have hexed me if she had been in the position to.

'Fine, I'm coming home.' I said, trying to smooth her mood.

'And you are not to talk about work ! Or even think about it ! And trust, I'll know if you do.' She shot me a last glare and went to the floo, not even looking back to see if I was following, I had to and there was no place for arguments. I had to go.

Therefore, I spent the whole weekend with her, loosing up and having fun. When I got home, she was already seated at the dining room table, the dishes ready for us to help ourselves. After we decided to call it a night and went early to bed, the first time for me in the three weeks it had been since we received the order. We stayed in bed quite late the next morning, I, relinquishing in the first night I spent without worrying about work, forcing myself to stop being obsessed with it and genuinely enjoying the time spent with my wife. That afternoon we went to the theatre. I had soon after the end of the war discovered with surprise that muggles had some quite amazing entertainments and gadgets that really required respect and admiration. The theatre was one of them : whereas us, wizards are stuck with short moving pictures, that don't even have sound to go with them, Muggles have films that go on and on for about two hours ! I've been fascinated by them since I discovered them a few months after Astoria and I started dating. When we got back home, we decided to have tea, and talked about people we knew, what we should do for Christmas, that was getting closer and closer, what to offer Scorpius. I thought about what I could get her too, having a few ideas that I knew she would appreciate. All of that happened in a light mood and I finally managed to feel better and not guilty about not working on trying to find a cure.

The Monday morning, I went back to work later than usual, Astoria convincing me that my assistants could manage to run the shop and the potion trial on their own. I came in around ten o'clock, feeling quite cheerful though I didn't show it : that's not what a Malfoy does. Still, I could manage a smile, like the day we started working on the cure, however, I still kept my father's advices, if not orders, not to let any emotion leak through my face, at least I try, though I'm sure I must be failing once in a while, I do my best.

I first went to the rest room to get myself a cup of tea, before starting work. I had to finish a few potions I was brewing for sell, and continue on the experiences. I drank that cup of tea, still feeling the effect of a whole weekend spent home, just enjoying life with Astoria. I had almost finished it when I felt the wards shift with the entrance of a lot of people.

'What's going on, now ?' I wondered as I went on my way to the shop. As I entered the room, I realized that a whole bunch of Aurors were in the shop looking alert as if they would get attack at any moment. Savage and Lupin were amongst them, looking quite confused for Savage and thoughtful for Lupin.

'Can I help you ?' I asked, trying not to show that I was just as confused as Savage looked.

The latter came to the counter with a parchment.

'This a warrant that gives us permission to inspect your shop, Mister Malfoy.'

'Well, I thought you did the inspection with Auror Lupin about three weeks ago, everything was in order, you said' I said, completely lost.

'Yes, sir, everything was when we came, as always.' he said with a sad smile I was barely able to see. 'We got some anonymous informations saying that some strange events happened here and that the person felt the presence of dark magic. Therefore we had to inspect the shop again. And if anything is wrong, we're gonna have to take you to the Ministry for a few question, before deciding about the following events.'

'Some anonymous information, huh ? What, someone sends an owl saying that I'm not the person I'm supposedly pretending to be and you all run here. Even after I spent fifteen years in the right path, keeping my nose clean ?' I started feeling a little angry. The inspection meant that I wouldn't be working properly today, and I was really inclined to go back to work rested.

'What's wrong, Malfoy, you actually have something to hide ?' sneered a voice I hadn't heard for almost twenty years. Ron Weasley hadn't changed at all beside a few grey hair and lines on his face. He still had this stupid red hair and annoying freckles, and long nose. He had built a little, the muscle seemed more defined under the scarlet auror robes. His job must have helped more than Quidditch practice.

'Of course not, Weasley' I retorted shortly. 'But having an inspection going on in the lab once again isn't really what's gonna help me find a cure for the …... ?.'

'Yes, well, we're gonna find out if you're really just worried about the quality of your work conditions.' He smirked. 'Let's start. Savage, you take the lounge with Stark. Flinchley, Booth, you're doing the shop. Pattin, Teddy, you come with me to the lab.'

And with that they went each started to go to their assigned work.

'Oh, and if you find anything call me.' he added as an after-thought.

I followed the group with the weasel to the lab where I knew Sarah and Oreste were.

'Oh sir, I think I might have fo - ' Oreste stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw the three aurors. Sarah, who hadn't looked up to the sound of the door being opened, let her eyes drift to the door after adding the exact amount of salamander eyes the potions requested.

'Wow, what's going on sir ? Why is there aurors here again, and especially one who was part of the Golden Trio ?' she squealed

I groaned internally at the awe on her face when she looked at the weasel. Especially when he decided that he should be the one to answer her question.

'We received informations that some dark magic was practised here, we have to inspect the shop and we will have to ask you both a few questions, euh, Miss ?

'Grey, sir !' she said, half-grinning, half-quite worried.

'Alrigth. We'll start to proceed. Oh and actually, I don't want the three of you to touch anything.

'Oh, but I have to put, 5 more salamander eyes in ten minutes and then stir it clockwise thirteen times if I don't want this potion ruined and considering the price of some of the ingredients, I don't want it to be ruined...' she almost whispered, her voice almost mute at the end once she realised she was arguing with an auror and more importantly Harry Potter's best friend. 'Sorry.'

' It's alright.' The fucking red-haired said back. 'What potion is that ?.

'It's Skell-Gro, sir.' she answered staring at her feet.

'Teddy, go look at it and tell if it's really that.' he ordered still staring at Sarah.

Lupin went to the cauldron and put the tip of his wand on the edge of the top.

'Potionatus Revelatum' he whispered. A gold light came out of the cauldron and Lupin nodded. 'It's skell-gro, Auror Weasley.'

'Fine, you can keep brewing the potion, but Teddy will watch your every move.' he said sternly.

'Yes, sir.'

'Weasley !' called a voice from the hallway. 'You should come see that !'

The so annoying weasel waved us all to go after him. We followed him to the lounge and saw the two aurors assigned to this room, Flinchley, a Hufflepuff who was in my year at Hogwarts and Booth, a guy I didn't know. They were looking at the files. I didn't understand what they wanted to show to Weasley, that was just all the parchments from the register, all the inventories of the past five years and the list of the researches I've made since I became a potion master.

Everyone was in the room, we heard the shop bell ring and Flinchley and Oreste went to talk to them. Probably to close the shop, not that it seemed welcoming with two aurors in their uniforms turning everything upside down. Booth, the one who called the red-haired auror was still leaning over the files. I saw Lupin who was looking intently at the files as if trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle.

Wealsey marched over to the desk, smirking as if he already knew what the files contained and that I was screwed. He looked at it for about five minutes and then looked up and stared at Savage and his partner.

'Who checked this during your inspection ?' he asked half-condescending, half-frustatred.

'I did' said Lupin quietly.

'Oh, really, you did, Teddy ?' Weasley replied a little softer than before, probably because he's known the kid since he was a baby and watch him grow up, feeling like he was family.

'Yes, and I can tell you that there was nothing in there, I've used several spells, all the ones indicated for the situation, and then I actually checked out myself because I know that those spells can sometimes be wrong, I've heard some stories, Auror Weasley.' he said still as quietly as before as if he wasn't about to be reprimanded for a mistake like that. Which wasn't a mistake at all, because nothing was in there. I still didn't know what the aurors could have found interesting in there.

'You really did, everything ?' asked Weasley patiently as if talking to a four year-old that he knew had stolen another kid's toy and wouldn't admit it.

'Yes, I did' the sandy-haired man said with a glare. 'I know most people think I've passed training because of Harry and the fact that my parents died during the war, and that my mum was an auror too, and still remembered. And maybe the examinators actually knew that and it's a part of it. But you more than anyone should know that I am capable. I've worked really hard and you should trust me when I tell you that I've checked this. There was nothing.'

Weasley had the decency to look a little ashamed, though he still tried to look like the boss. Which he still was, I couldn't believe how the kid could actually go off like that without even a glare. But I admired the slytheryn side he had, if he had planned this reaction and deliberately used it.

'Okay' continued the weasel. 'Well, it's still there so, we're gonna have to take the ferret to the ministry.'

'The ferret ?' asked Lupin, confused and incredulous thinking that his boss could be referring to me.

'I mean, Malfoy.' He came to me. 'Incarcerous.'

And with that I was led out of the room to the ministry with all the files behind me, the shop being closed and sealed.


	4. The interrogation

Chapter 4

When we got to the ministry I was led to and locked in a grey room with only a table and three chairs. I was sat down on one of the chairs and the auror that got me there left the room without a word. I don't know how long I stayed sitting there staring at nothing. It could have been only a few minutes or even five hours, I didn't really care. All I cared about was what was in the files and why it interested so much the weasel and his team. I also wanted to know, if it was that bad, how it got there, who put it, and why. Well, that last bit wasn't really difficult to answer. Even if it had been about twenty years since the end of the war, I was still not highly esteemed in the society by lots of people because of my ex-Death Eater status and still received letters with death threats. Still, no big deal... Until now, I guess. The only thing that kept me from going mad in the room was the knowledge that Lupin stated that it wasn't there the last time. Even if it's just to keep his job and not look like an idiot in front of his godfather when it's gonna reach Potter's ears. But they could interrogate me while I'm under the influence of veritaserum, and they would know the truth. I knew we had to make the demand, that they could not use it on an unwilling suspect but if you refuse it if they ask you to testify with it, it just makes you look even more suspect.

I heard the doorknob being actioned and looked up to see Lupin with a glass of water and a mug. The odour of tea filled the room.

'Hi !' he said with a smile. He looked at me, put the glass on the table and sat down opposite to me. 'I'm sorry for what Auror Weasley said, old grudges, he's good to hold them...'

'Oh' was all I found to replied. Really, small talk and apologies for someone else's behaviour ?

'Yeah, well, he's not gonna be the one to interrogate you with me. The Head Auror will do it, the case seems really important for him to just ignore it, so he'll be here in a few minutes.'

I was shocked. Harry Potter will be interrogating me ? If Weasley still holds grudges against me, it can only be worse for Potter. And I remembered that the kid said that he had heard stories about me from his godfather. It didn't sound well for me.

'You don't have to look so worried. Auror Potter isn't as good as his best friend to be spiteful for twenty years.' he said with another one of his quiet smile, the same as his father's.

'Yes, well, maybe, but what I did wasn't just saying he had stupid glasses or that he was a dumbass. It went really far...'

'You don't seem to be really proud about it. You actually even seem to have some regrets.'

I was expecting to see again the smile on his mouth, but when I looked up, all I saw was a thoughtful look.

'I am not proud, not that people believe it. But I do regret what I did, some of it at least.'

Why I was telling him was completely out of my grasp but still, it felt sort of right. At that moment the door opened again and for the first in fifteen years I was facing the golden boy. Harry Potter was standing at the doorway, looking almost exactly the same, just as Weasley did, without grey hair, a few lines on his face. He had changed the frame of his glasses, a good thing if you want to know, those he had at school were really stupid... He also looked a lot more muscular, probably from his job. Anyway he still looked like the saviour, so it was still annoying.

'Malfoy' he greeted. I didn't answer. He sat down next to his godson, put down a small file on the table and opened it.

'So, Malfoy, dark artefacts have been found at your shop. This looks pretty bad, considering your past.' he said looking at me in the eyes.

'I know how it looks, but I didn't do anything, I don't even know what your aurors found, they didn't tell me what it was.'

'So you're saying that you don't know what was in those files ?'

'Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You know what I did in the past wasn't entirely of my own will, and that the part that wasn't my own will was the worst of what I did. I know what I have to do to live a normal life, to have a life at all actually and I'm not gonna screw it all by doing the same mistakes as before !' I said not able to keep quiet. All the time spent alone in this room and the conversation started with the younger man had me completely worried that I might lost everything I've tried to rebuild after the war.

Potter stared at me saying nothing, looked down to the file, then at the other auror.

'You knew that there wouldn't be another inspections before at least next summer. You thought that it would be safe for you to do your little dark business, right ?'

'What ?!No ! I don't have little dark business, I don't have dark business at all, Potter !' I cried. I knew he was gonna put me down and believe that I didn't change at all since the beginning of the war. And I had to admit, he actually had no reason to believe that I might've changed. He always knew me as the brat who believed that he was so superior to most human beings because of my pure wizarding blood. And I was also the fucking prick who used to make his life even worse at school when he was always fighting something so bigger than him, and even more bigger than me.

'If what you say is the truth, then would you accept to make the same statement under the influence of veritaserum ?' he asked looking suspiciously at me, his eyes narrowed, with a furrowed brow.

'Yes, I accept.' I said relieved that he proposed it to me, and that I didn't have to ask for it.

'Alright, then, Auror Lupin, could you please go ask for it to the healing wing, please ?' he said still watching me, and more precisely, my reactions.

'Sure, I'm going right away.'

With that, Lupin got up and left the room, Potter forever staring at me with suspicious eyes.

'Do you really have no idea what we found in your files ?' he finally said.

'No, I don't. All I know is that three weeks ago, Aurors Savage and Lupin did the usual inspection as every year, and they found absolutely nothing. Auror Lupin is the one who inspected the files and I went in the room when he was there to have some tea and then lunch. He was looking at it scrupulously, he seemed actually quite interested in some of the things he found in it, but he didn't say anything so I guess he didn't noticed anything that was worth me being arrested and dragged here. And today, your lot comes in the shop because they had anonymous information. I thought at first it was someone who wanted to tarnish my reputation by having the aurors here so soon after the annual inspection. But the fact that your men actually find something makes me wonder whether it isn't even bigger than that.'

He nodded quietly, still looking suspicious forever and always of me.

'And what do you think it could be all about ?' he asked me.

'Revenge, for what happened during the war. Someone might think that I didn't change or that I wasn't punished enough at the issue of my trial and having me passing another inspection clean as always made them really angry and bitter and willing for revenge. I don't know... I still have death threats owled to me at least every month.'

'You do ?' Potter asked with his voice tainted a little by surprise.

'Yes, everyone knows the story of the Astronomy Tower and the fact that I'm the only Death Eater who got away with almost nothing, most people took it all out on me. After I opened my shop, most people didn't walk in even if it meant they had to go to Hogsmeade to get what they needed. I had the chance to have my former mentor who still asked me to brew some potions for him and bought them from me, at the time, or else I wouldn't even have lasted a year...'

'I didn't know, what didn't you ever report that ?' he asked sincerely.

'What do you think ? A Death Eater complaining about people threatening to kill him ? Me dead, that's not something most people would complain about, Potter.' I drawled.

'There you are !' he grinned like mad.

'Excuse me ?'

'Nothing, it's just... You've been polished and not condescending since I've got in the room and I was wondering when you would be yourself once again.' he said, but, surprisingly not being mean and angry.

'If you wanted me to be an ass to you, you just had to ask, you know ?'

'Ugh, no thanks, it was just disconcerting you not behaving like you used to at school. But now that I saw you can still do that, I'm not worried about your mental health anymore and you can go back to the polished one you were.' he grinned again.

'You were worried about me, Potter, huh ?'

'I knew I should've shut my mouth for once !' he chuckled.

The door opened and Lupin entered the room again.

'I've got it, sir. We're gonna be able to proceed, now.'

He put the vial on the table next to the file and sat back down. He put a sheet in front of the Head Auror, that the latter started to fill.

'Wait for a moment, Mister Malfoy.' said the kid.

Potter kept on filling the sheet, that was probably a necessary procedure for my statement under veritaserum.

'We need to fill it to have a proof that you have really ingested the potion before making the statement.' he said as if knowing my thoughts.

'Finite' I heard lupin say. I felt the pressure on my wrists relieve and I wasn't bound anymore.

'Alright.' Potter looked up. 'You can drink it now, then we'll wait five minutes for the potion to take effects and then we'll start with general questions to which you will try to lie, and I'll know it if you just say the truth voluntarily, to make sure the potions works on you.'

'Okay' I said and took the vial, uncorked it and drank it. We waited silently for the five minutes to pass, Potter looking at his watch once in a while. Then he shifted on his chair and leaned on the table where was seated parchment and a Quick-Quotes-Quill and sucked on the tip for a moment and then put it on a sheet of parchment.

'God, I hate those...' he muttered. 'Now, the quill is for us to be able to retranscript everything that is going to be said during the time the potions works. Don't worry, they don't work like Skeeter's, they just write down exactly what comes out of your mouth, each word of yours. We're gonna start asking the questions now.'

'Are you Draco Lucius Malfoy ?'

'Euh … Yes.'

'When were you born ?'

'On... on the - On the fifth of June 1980' I replied flatly.

'Where do you live ?'

'Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire.'

'Are you married to Astoria Malfoy, née Green grass ?'

'Yes'

'What is your son's name ?'

'Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.'

'Have you ever been arrested before ?'

'Yes' I said bitterly.

Potter made a pause and then tore his eyes away from the parchment he's been staring at the all while he asked the questions.

'Alright, everything's normal. I'm gonna ask you some questions about what my fellows found at your shop. Teddy, if you have any question for him, don't hesitate.' he added turning to smile at his godson.

'Sure, sir.'

'Malfoy, we've found some receipts for dark items, like a cursed necklace, a sorting knife, several books that were actually supposed not to be existing anymore, some forbidden ingredients that are really difficult to buy.'

I stared at him, gobsmacked, baffled. I had no idea what he was talking about. I had never bought any of those things. Well, I had been in the possession of a cursed necklace once, but it was during the war, I didn't ever dared to land my eyes on an item like that since I had been freed after my trial. And how those aforementioned receipts appeared in the files at the shop was something I couldn't grasp. Only Oreste, Sarah and I could access the back rooms of the shop, along with Astoria and our son when they pass by to say "hello". Scorpius couldn't have done that, he was at Hogwarts, right now, had been since September. Astoria would never do that, she was my wife and she had no reason to do it. And then I trusted my assistants , especially Oreste, with who I had worked for almost seven years. Sarah had only been working at the shop for three months, but I trusted her, she was eager to learn and hard-working, doing that would ruin her chance to ever find another job, at least another mentor. No one would trust someone who covered up for an ex-death eater who was still doing dark arts.

'Auror Booth and Flinchley also found the results of experiences for potions that wouldn't be considered legal if controlled by the ministry. And their effects are not gentle.' he said while putting some sheets of parchments that was at the bottoms of his pile in front of me to look at them.

'All of that is a lot, Malfoy. If you really are the one who did all that, you're certain to spend the rest of your life in Azkaban. And though the dementors are not there anymore, it's still on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean with nothing but cells around the prisoners.' he said seriously, not just trying to scared me off, but to pounder my reaction his threats, if I was flinching knowing that it was exactly what was awaiting me.

'Now, Mister Malfoy. Did you or did you not ordered those items ?' he asked, his voice low and slow.

'No.' I said quietly, looking straight at him.

'Okay. Then did you or did you not made and reported all those experiences for potions having unspeakable effects ?'

'No, sir. I didn't.'

Potter nodded, seeming satisfied by my answers. He knew the veritaserum worked on me from the first questions, so he knew I didn't lie. I was innocent and they had proofs.

He stood up and started to leave, but I had some questions that I needed to be answered.

'Wait !' I said raising my voice to stop him from going. 'I... I, do you... ?' I stammered

'Yes, what ?' he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

I breathed deeply and just spoke.

'Do you found out who the anonymous informator was ?'

'No, but it doesn't matter, we've cleared everything out : you're innocent and will be free to go in like ten minutes, the time I need to bring everything to Auror Weasley and close the case.'

'No, I... What that person did was defamation and it's punishable, right ? It could have destroyed my life, that I've worked so hard to rebuilt after the war but it doesn't matter ?!' I almost yell.

'Look I don't know what the problem is. It was probably just someone who wanted to annoy you because they're holding a grudge against you for your role in the war, that's all. The fact is, you're innocent, everybody will know it and everything will go back to normal.' he said, as if it was the only thing that could happen and that I was a bit of an idiot not to see things that way.

'It could have had much worst consequences, Potter ! I want the person responsible for that to be punished, they can't be left alone just because it's safer for you ! I know you think it doesn't because I'm a Death 4ater who actually deserves to be outcast and hated by everyone, that most people would take the defence of the person who try to make you arrest me for something I didn't do ! What ? You don't want your reputation to be tainted ?' I really yelled now.

'That's not - ' Potter started.

'Harry ?' said an appeasing voice. We both turned to stare at Lupin like one. I guessed he would say to Potter to just leave and that he'll be handling me on his own. That's why what he said after took me aback. 'We have to found the 'informator.' he accentuated to the word 'informator' to show that he didn't believe it was really innocent, that the person knew what would happen, and that it made them the criminal. 'Mister Malfoy is right, the consequences could have been so much worse. If he couldn't state and prove that he was innocent with veritaserum, he would have ended in Azkaban for the rest of his life. An innocent would've been imprisoned for his whole life for something he didn't do. And I think that's what the person wanted. They have to be punished.'

Harry started at him, startled and at lost for words.

'I... Teddy -'

'No... I... Sir, an innocent would have been imprisoned, that one thing that is unacceptable. However, we ought to think of his family, how his wife would have lost the man she loves and would have been mistreated by the society once again. And his son would have lost his father and be as good as an orphan, mistreated too. We both know what Hogwarts is. Most of students wouldn't have been too keen on being understanding and sympathetic to him. It would have made his life hell, too. Three people's life would have been destroyed, Head Auror... And for what ? The chance to appease an old grudge that people have no right to hold, since the Ministry and Wizengamot proceeded with a fair and impartial trial that had the right to judge his acts and parts during the war and decided that he wasn't in need to be punished for ?' he stared at his godfather, not showing whether his questions were rhetorical or not.

'Teddy, there's not a lot we can do.' Potter said after a silence I had spent feeling even more gobsmacked than when Potter had enumerated the things the aurors had discovered at the shop. I couldn't believe that this kid -man- who was a war orphan was defending me, who played a part in his parents death, even indirectly.

'We could make a plan. Let Malfoy go, but saying that we couldn't prove he is guilty. No one beside the aurors knows that we interrogated him with veritaserum, we don't use it every time. The guy will probably not be thrilled by that and might try again. Meanwhile, we have to looked through Mister Malfoy's life who might be the more likely to do something like that.' He turned to me. 'Your past can't be the only reason someone might want you to be locked up in Azkaban. You've been a potions master for what, fifteen years ? You could've made lots of enemies in the business during that time. And the fact that you're working on a cure for the disease that everyone dreads nowadays and who had already killed about thirty people isn't helping too.' He turned back to his boss. 'We have to do something, sir. Unless the idea of an innocent locked up in Azkaban doesn't keep you from sleeping at night ?'

Potter glared at him and I realised that his godson who had once again defied the authority had also probably touch a bad nerve.

'Fine' Potter said coldly. 'We'll do something. You'll be the one working searching through Malfoy's past. And I'll let Savage work on trying to trace the letter that "informed" us we needed to do another inspection at the apothecary. You'll be under Auror Wealsey's supervision'

At that he stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly after him, his steps still clearly heard through the hallways even though the door was closed. I looked up at Lupin, curiously.

'Sorry about that.' he said not looking at me. 'I didn't plan to anger him, it just came out before I could think about it...'

'Oh, don't worry, I was quite a professional at school to infuriate him, so, I can't blame you, I know he gets easily upset.'

He finally looked at me.

'I know, but this time... I really stooped low, it was unfair and uncalled for.' he said looking ashamed. I decided to change the subject, though I really wanted to know why what he said made Potter react that way.

'Why did you defend me ?'

He smiled, rather grinned, the effect made you want to grin with him.

'I did it because it's my job, sir, and because my parents fought for a fairer world and an innocent in jail isn't really my definition of fair, so I don't want their death to seem pointless, even just to me. See ? Quite selfish, really. Nothing to do with you.'

His grin got broader.

'Thanks !' I replied pleased at the quite honest answer. 'And there I was thinking that you genuinely liked me !'

He chuckled at that and I knew that the second time he did was because I had a most certainly incredibly puzzled look on my face.

'I actually think I might like you.' he smiled again, the gentle smile. He chuckled again and left the room and I was left there dumbfounded and even more puzzled that he would leave the room like that. Really the kid was an enigma to me, he was certainly intriguing and I looked forward to have him around to figure out who tried to trap me.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I waited in the room for about five minutes and just when I started to think that they might have forgotten I was in there, the door opened and I saw he weasel enter with Savage. Weasley looked kind of grim.

'You can go now, Malfoy, you proved that you were innocent, so you're free to leave. Although I guess we'll be seeing you here again soon enough, if what Harry said is true. If you have any questions, Auror Savage will be pleased to answer them.'

And there was the third one to leave the room without allowing me to acknowledge their depart.

Savage was glancing at me and when I turned towards him, he finally posed his look on me.

'Do you have any questions on the continuation of the investigation ?'

'No, thank you.' I answered once again in my polished mode. 'I already know that you and Auror Lupin are the ones on the case and what each of you will do. I already know to come here if I have any question and you both know where to contact me, so I guess I'll just be on my way.'

And after that I just decided that the aurors weren't the only ones who had the right to enjoy leaving without further ado.


	5. Apologies

Chapter 5

Teddy Lupin wasn't feeling right : guilt was nagging at him. He knew he shouldn't have said the last sentence to his godfather, that it was in fact pretty cruel to do it. But at the time he didn't think about the consequences of his words, he just cared about convincing his boss that the office had to protect the potions master and didn't considered his godfather and what happened to Harry's.

He was now standing before the door of the Head Auror, pondering whether he should go talk to him and apologise or let him calm down for a while. But the choice was made for him when Stark, an older auror, around his mid-thirties came in view.

'Ah Lupin, you're going in. Good, could you give him this report ? I'm due to deposit it to him now, but I've got to get going, Pattin and I have been called on a crime scene.'

He didn't wait for an answer and handed him the file and passed by to leave. And again Teddy was standing alone, staring at the door.

'This is ridiculous !' he muttered. 'This is your godfather, who raised you with your grandmother and can't be mad at you for more than twenty minutes !. Besides, Lupin, you know you were wrong, you ought to apologise.'

He knocked on the door, waited for an answer and when he heard the familiar 'come in' turned the doorknob and made his way into the room. Harry was leaning over a document on his desk, scowling over his square framed glasses making him look quite intimidating, the position making his shoulder look a little broader that they were in reality.

'I-' Teddy started and stopped dead when the dark-haired without looked at him. He then smiled sadly and motioned for the sandy-haired metamorphmagus to sit down, which he obediently did.

'It's okay, Teddy, I know you didn't mean to hurt me. That you didn't think about it. Why would you ? You didn't know him and exactly what happened to him and what it did to me, how much it hurt me to found out about him and his history -'

'But I know how it still hurts you, Uncle Harry. And I should have thought about it. All I thought about was making you see we needed to do something, no matter the mean I had to use and I hurt you. I didn't want that. I know I don't show it often, but I'm really grateful, thankful for everything you did for me and Gran. You're probably the most important person in my life. You're kind of my pillar and, before you ask, yes I know it's clichéd, thank you very much !' Harry grinned at him, forgiveness and love evident in his eyes.

'Teddy -"

'I'm not done ! Please, let me finish.' he cut his godfather. 'You're my model too, I've always wanted to be like you when I was a kid, and even now, you still amaze me and make me want to become better and more like you. You're the reason why I first wanted to become an auror. When I told you and you asked me if it was because my mother was one, it was when I discovered what was her job, and, yes, it made it even better and myself even more sure of my choice. I was a seven-year-old boy and I already knew what I wanted to be, not because I wanted to make my dead parents proud, not exclusively. I also wanted to make the man who sacrificed a lot of experiences he could have enjoyed because he had to take care of me, when all he deserved was to have all the time to himself after all the time he lost doing what other and older people should have done. And I just wanted to make it up to you by showing that it wasn't a total waste of time, but that you actually did the right decision and that you could be proud of me and more importantly of yourself and everything you've done for me.'

'So I just, wanted to apologise for what I said, it was mean and uncalled for, and to thank you for everything and tell you that I'll always love you like the father you have always been for me.'

Harry sat still, speechless. He stared at his godson, not knowing how to respond to that.

'I... Wow, huh...'

'Okay, I guess it's a lot and that it was unexpected...' Teddy said as he stood up.

'Wait ! I... I'm not mad at you for what you said, I know the reasons why you were feeling quite angry at me for doing nothing to discover who was behind the accusation on Malfoy. I know that, even though you said you first wanted to become an auror because of me, your reason matured as much as you did and that you just want to keep fighting in a different way the battle you parents died for. And I'm sorry I didn't think of all that, it was just... I never really felt at ease with Malfoy after the Final Battle, maybe I'll explain you everything one day, but I admit that I just wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible.

'And I want you to know that I love you too, just as I do James, Albus and Lily. You're as much of my child as they are. And actually, I've got to admit that I'll always see you a little differently from them, yes. Not because I'm not your father, but because I don't want you to forget about your parents. But most importantly because you are the reason why I kept going after the end of the war. I didn't know what to do and having you gave me a goal, a reason to rebuild myself and try to live a finally normal life. Despite everything and especially everyone that I lost to get it, including your parents. I'd say that you saved me, Teddy. And you're one of the most important person in my life too, and my pillar too. And what you said hurt, yes. But what hurt even more was the fact that I realised after that I deserved it a little bit, because I had let you down.'

Teddy had a hard time deciding if he should let the huge smile that was fighting to break on his face, or stand up and go bear-hug his godfather. Then they looked at each other and exploded in laughters, tears of mirth in their eyes.

'Okay, that was worth of one the novels both your grandmothers read !' Harry laughed even more louder.

'So corky and delightful, this story will make you smile and cry and laugh like no others !' chanted Teddy. 'Yeah, definitely what Gran and Nana love !'

They laughed a little longer and then sobered up a little, equally big grins on their faces. Then Teddy remembered that he still had to give Stark's file to Harry.

'Stark passed by when I was about to come in, he asked me to give you this, so here you go.' he said as he handed him the document. 'I guess I should go back to work now.'

He stood up and was by the door when Harry called him again.

'I know that you want justice about what happened to Malfoy. But I also know that the fact he is related to you is appealing to you, that that you are related makes you want to learn to know him as family. But, Teddy... I don't know whether Andromeda talked to you about that part of your relatives, so I won't say much, unless you have questions, however I want you to be careful and not get attached to much to the idea of having a family you are related to by blood. Malfoy used to have principles and values at school, I don't know whether he still goes by the pureblood ideology or not, but I don't want you to get hurt.' he seriously said, looking concerned.

'I won't, I promise, unless I have good reason. Although not until the case is over, I know I don't want or need anything to interfere with my job.' he smiled and put his hand on the doorknob, ready to turned it and then stopped himself. He turned back to look at his boss.

'That's another thing I didn't thank you for... You gave me a family.'

He was expecting to see a smile grow on Harry's lips, though that didn't happen.

'The Weasleys were always your family, Teddy. Even when your parents were still with us. We were their family too. Hadn't I be your godfather, you still would have been a member of our family, just as important as the others. Molly never said it to you, but she always said that you were her first grandchild. Especially after all the time she tried to mend your parents' relationship after Remus decided to accept the mission Dumbledore gave him. Though, she won't admit it in front of Fleur and Victoire, she doesn't want a French part-Veela and a part-Veela, part-werewolf to be mad at her !'

That was the moment the smile appeared on his lips. Teddy didn't know what to say and decided on a truthful "Thank you" and decided that finally the bear hug wasn't a bad idea.


	6. Has he really changed ?

Chapter 6

Harry Potter, Head Auror, was still smiling from the conversation he just had with his godson when three short knocks made themselves heard on his door.

'Come in' he bid loudly to make himself clear. He looked up from his parchment and saw his best friend enter his office.

'Why would you put two aurors, and actually under my supervision, on trying to find out who try to get the fucking bouncing ferret in jail when they are much needed doing something else ?' he asked red in the face, the color doing nothing to his complexion.

'Because someone tried to get us to lock an innocent in prison, Ron. We can't let them go off easily, that is unacceptable and has to be punished.' he said authoratively, knowing that anyway the red-haired auror wouldn't let it go like that.

'Still, it's Malfoy we're talking about, he should still be in Azkaban for what he did during the war, for fuck's sake !' he cried out.

'No, he's been judge, with a fair trial, Ron, they stated that he didn't deserve to be taken his life away and thrown in Azkaban. It's not for you to rewrite history now.'

Ron narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow.

'Don't you remember all he did to us and everyone at school ? Did you forget that he was with that fucking toat in our fifth year ? That he was supposed to kill Dumbledore and almost did ? That he was there when Hermione was tortured by his aunt and that he didn't do anything ? That he tried to get you to You-know-You and it ended up with Crabbe dying killed by his own FyiendFire and that you had to save his sorry scrawny ass ?! Did you forget all our teenage years ?'

He looked furious at the end of his speech, a lot to do with the mention of what Hemione went through and the memory of her screams and the feeling of being totally helpless for her.

'I remember that, Ron, of course I didn't forget !' Harry snapped, not appreciating of the fact that his friend thought he could forget any of what happened between the time he entered the wizarding world on his eleventh birthday with Hagrid and the moment Voldemort was finally defeated once and for all, dead, killed by his own curse, once again. 'And I also remember that we were all kids at the time ! Living as the grown-ups that mattered to us expected us to ! You haven't talked to Malfoy after it was over ! I did ! And he looked distraught and completely lost and crushed by everything !'

'Yeah, of course he was ! His precious Dark Lord was dead, Harry. His side had lost the war ! He knew the Purebloods of his wouldn't be ruling our world and that he would most probably end up in Azkaban ! Of course he felt distraught and lost and crushed ! Merlin, Harry, why do you always have to look for the good in people ? Malfoy doesn't have a good part, you should know that !'

'I don't always try to see the good sides of people, Ron ! I didn't for Snape, and look how it turned out ! I always worshipped Dumbledore and see what he was hidding from everyone, his crush on Grindelwald ? The Greater good ? And I always thought my father was so great and amazing, and then I realised he was like every average teenage boy for most of it.'

He stopped and stared at Ron, who had calmed down.

'What Malfoy did, it was because he had been raised like that, you can't really blame him for that. I had been raised to be a fucking maid and that's what I did until Hagrid came. And then, he did what he had to do to protect his family and himslef, he had no one to do that, Ron. And for Dumbledore, he lowered his wand, he lowered his wand and considered Dumbledore's proposition to have his family protected by the Order, but then the Death Eaters came into the tower and Snape killed Dumbledore. I can't really see you sacrificing your mother for an old wizard you don't give a shit about !'

'He has the stupid mark, Harry ! He was a death eater !'

'Yeah, he has the mark, doesn't mean he got it willingly and that it wasn't forced up on him... His father was already on Azkaban, I guess he got it because he had to be the one to represent the Malfoys as Voldemort's – oh please, Ron, it's been twenty years ! - as VOLDEMORT's minions and he knew that his mother would have been hurt if he had refused. And don't forget that he could have handed me to Riddle at the manor but he didn't and he enabled us to win the war, indirectly.'

Ron snarled.

'He still tried to sold you to him in the room of Requierments.'

'Yeah, I don't know, we were losing, his parents were at Voldemort's mercy... I don't know Ron... But I've seen him in the bathroom right before we dueled and I almost killed him -'

'After he tried to Crucio you !'

'I don't think he was really happy about the situation. And we were just kids... People should have known better that to involve all of us and take our childhood away from us.'

Ron didn't reply and seemed to be thinking about something important.

'You really think he might have changed ?'

'I believe so. He hadn't done anything wrong since his trial, always kept his nose clean. And Teddy doesn't seem to think he might be evil, so... I trust his judgment.'

'Alright, then... I still don't trust him though, and if anything happens, I go arrest him myself and send him to Azkaban without a second thought !'

'Ron, please...'

'What ?!'

'Thrown in Azkaban without a second thought, huh ? That's exactly what happened to Sirius ! I don't want that to happen ever again ! If you can't keep an impartial judgment, I'll take hold of the case myself and at least you'll be Malfoy-free for the rest of your life.' Harry snapped again.

'Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, Harry, blimey. I just... I don't want Malfoy out if he really has done anything wrong.'

Harry glared at him with a bit of defiance in his eyes.

'And I really don't want Malfoy locked in if he's not done anything to deserve it !'

'Alright !' Ron finally said after a pause. 'We'll work on the case, well, Teddy and Savage, and we'll see what happens then.' he said soothingly. 'I'm really sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that seeing him made all those bad memories come back and I still have some difficulties handling it.'

Harry's lips snatched up a little, barely smiling.

'I know, I think we all have... Doesn't mean we get to decide when we can not to do our job.'


	7. What about my wife ?

Hi ! I know it's been a while, I've been really busy, and unfortunately I don't have access to the Internet during the week... But I haven't quit writing this story and have a few chapter ready to post soon.

Besides, I'd really like to know what you think of that story so far, and what you might like to see happening later. I already know who is responsible for all that's happening to Malfoy, but otherwise, if there's anything you'd like, just tell me, please, I'll see if I can make it right for the story.

To Buford, thanks ! It's nice to hear someone like the story. And for the spelling mistake, I'll try to be more careful :)

And thanks too to those who follows it !

Chapter 7

When I got out of the ministry it was 4pm. I had spent five hours in the building. Since it was still quite early I decided to go back to the shop for a while. When I arrived, I found out that Sarah was still there, but Oreste had gone. She was putting some order in the mess Wealsey and his men made of the shop.

'Oh ! Hi, Mister Malfoy, I'm just cleaning a bit, those aurors weren't really respectful of the shop, today.' she smiled clearly feeling uneasy.

'It's okay, Miss Grey. Thank you.' I was about to go see how was the lab, but stopped in my track.

'I suppose they interrogated you ?' I asked her.

'Yes, sir. But I didn't say anything against you ! You can trust me, Oreste and I have been asked questions together and we both defended you and stated that you had never done anything like that, never seen the objects from the receipts or seen you brewing the potions on the list. Of course, since I've been working here for only a little more than two months, what I said wasn't really important but Oreste was quite the person to be asked. And of course he said the same things as me !'

I nodded, a little reassured that I still had my assistants' trust.

'Thank you. It means a lot that you didn't jumped on conclusion about me.'

'Well, sir, you gave me reasons to give you my trust so, I don't see how false accusations by someoone too coward to let themselves be known could change that.'

'Still, most people are rather inclined to believe every bad thing said about me.' I paused and turned my gaze to the door. 'I'm gonna go see the can go home if you wish.'

The lab had been cleaned too, probably Oreste's doing before he left. Everything was at its place like nothing had happened. I assumed that Oreste had been working on the cure for the day so I decided to see how it went, if the 'inspection' hadn't damaged our work. We had advanced a lot, I didn't want to have to start all over again only because the Weasel had decided that he could do anything he wanted here simply based on presumptions. I was still angry that they had come here with that much people with for only reason they'd been sent a letter stating that some weird things were taking place here ! They could have sent two aurors, as usual but not the ones who came here three weeks earlier if they didn't trust their work. But I guessed that having there an old auror, who's been there for more than thirty years and the godson of the Boy-Who-Lived made them all uneasy to say out loud they thought they might have made a mistake. Especially Lupin, the reaction Weasley had when he was said that it was the kid who checked the files was pretty clear, he didn't want to upset him.

And now he had to pretend that he actually might be guilty but too smart to be caught and locked up. And since he forgot to ask if he could tell the truth to his wife, he will probably have to lie when he will go back home in the evening. And the thing was, she always knew ; any time he had lie to him, telling her that everything was fine, that he was okay, she always knew that he was lying and managed to make him let the cat out.

He sensed a shift in the wards, announcing that someone entered the shop, although, he decided to stay in the lab : Sarah was in the boutique, she could take care of it, she was here for that. A knock on the door startled him for a second, as he wasn't expecting it and then he bid the knocker to come in. When the person stepped through the doorway he realised it was not Sarah, as he had supposed but Teddy Lupin, wearing casual robes with an open cloak.

'Sorry, sir, to interrupt, but I thought that maybe you would like to start now to search for the person who sent the false information, since it's pretty late, and you probably won't have time to start anything before heading home.' he explained.

'Oh, uh, right. Okay.' I said lamely.

'Okay, then do you want to do it here or in the rest room. Maybe at your home, if you prefer, are more comfortable that way ?'

'We'll go to the rest room, it'll be fine, I'll make some tea.' I stood up from the chair I was sitting on and went to him. He stepped aside so I could pass the doorway and I led him once again to the rest room.

'Oh, I know I said to Auror Savage that I didn't have any question but I thought of one once I was here. Can I tell the truth to my wife ? Because I really don't feel like lying to her, you know ?' I said fighting the urge to flinch at the thought that she will certainly be mad at me for getting into trouble like that after twenty of everything being perfectly well.

'I don't really know, Mister Malfoy. I understand that you don't want to lie, but...' he stop at the middle of his sentence.

'But ?' I urged him.

'But I think you shouldn't. We didn't clear any suspect and even though she is your wife, she is a suspect. I know what I told Harry earlier, but it is too soon to put any suspect aside. She might have done it because it would be a good way to play the betrayed wife who trusted you and whom you let down and endangered as well as your son. And the divorce you and get most of the money beside freedom from your marriage.'

My eyes were wide and I couldn't believed I heard what I thought I had heard.

'Astoria would never do that ! How can you dare ?!'

'I'm sorry.' he said with his annoyingly quiet voice. 'But it is a possibility. Sometimes people are not what we think they are...' he stated, bitterness clear in his voice.

'But I don't think who she is, I know who she is ! And she would never do that !'

'Alright, sir, we'll start with her anyway, so will see what motives she may have, okay ? And then we'll see if you can tell her what really happened.'

I almost pouted, almost because I'm a Malfoy and Malfoys don't pout, even as children. I felt ridiculous as I thought that I almost did... I felt like Lupin had me the same way he had Potter and his minion.

'Fine, let's do that.'

I headed toward the stove, put on the kettle to have some water to boil for tea, then I took two cups from the shelf and put them on the coffee table with two tea bags. I waited by the stove for the water to boil and the young auror sat down on the same chair he had on the first inspection. It reminded me of the conversation we had that day and I felt even more uneasy than I did when I first got in the room.

'Do you really believe my wife might be behind all this, the brain trying to destroy me ?' I asked, quite scared of the answer. He stared at me for about a minute, before he gave a small lopsided smile.

'No, I don't. If she hated you either wouldn't she have married you in the first place or, if this was a trick, she would have taken action earlier and not waited almost twenty year. But I don't want to make any mistake, so I actually would like to speak with her, but not bluntly either, it would have to seem innocent. So, no, you can't tell her the truth tonight and we have to prepare a little something that will enable me to meet her.'

'I really don't see why she would do that. We love each other, we have had from the beginning. I know most people said we married because we still have pure-blood ideology but that's not why. And we're happy, we have a good life, a great son. The only thing is that I love my job and sometimes when I've got a project I really love, I spend too much time on it, which makes her accuses me that I don't spend enough time with, therefore I don't see how sending me to prison can arrange that !'

'Alright, so there's about no chance your wife is the one we're looking for.' he conceded. 'I still want to talk to her.'

I finally accepted the fact that he wouldn't change his mind, so I let it go.

'Fine, we'll think of something.' I said, a little more coldly that I intended.

'Great ! Can you think of someone that would make it obvious that they hate you and want you in jail ?' he asked going back to the professional mode I had not seen since he was inspecting the lab on the second inspection.

'Well, at least half of the British wizarding world, now ! Including Weasley and probably all his family.' I said my voice full of sarcasm and irritation.

He sighed.

'Alright, I'll put it another way : Do you know anyone who hate you enough to plan something like what happened to send you in Azkaban ?' he said slowly, clearly mocking me.

I "humphed".

'I don't know, that's not something you think about everyday, you know...'

'Yeah, I do, though I actually wrote a list of people who obviously wanted me dead because of who was my father and his condition.'

I stared at him, mouth gaping, eyes widening.

'Really ?!'

'No ! Though I made sure they would never think about murdering me twice after that.'

Okay, this kid called for admiration. He clearly was sure of himself, but not showing off to everyone when he could proclaim that he was the Savior's godson who had been raised by him because both his parents died trying to defend all those people's ass. 'I thought that you might have reflected on this while you were waiting in the interrogation room.'

'I don't know, I don't think it's about my past, though, because all the fucking crazy Death Eaters are locked up or dead, and anyone would have acted earlier, just like my wife.'

'That's what I thought too, but I'll still make sure of it. I'd like to have all the letters with death threats you've received.'

'I'm sorry, but that's not the kind of thing you keep preciously in a drawer !'

He looked at me a severe look on his face.

'And what if you had been killed ? All those letters would have helped us figure out who could have been your murderer. And right now, it would have helped us discover who's trying to ruin you life.'

'Well, I... Sorry, but I didn't think about it when I just wanted to try and forget everything about the fact that most people didn't care about what could happen to me and would as a matter of fact be overjoyed by my sudden death...'

'It's alright, we'll figure out something else... Okay, we said anyway that it was unlikely to be one of them. So the second reason would be your business. Have you ever make enemies in this area ?'

'Are you kidding me ? Of course some other potions masters hate me and would like to have me missing of the world of potions. I may have a pretty dark past, it doesn't mean that I suck at my job... I'm in fact one of the best and have really big contract, like the one with St Mungo's or Healers that rich family employed that are overbooked. And what they ask of me are not the basic potions... I've already found ways to improve well-known potions as some potions for pain, helped in the improvements of the treatments for mental disabilities caused by curses and find a cure for spattergroit. And now I'm trying to find a cure for - '

'That's probably it !' he cut me, excitedly.

'Pardon ?'

'Your new project, we've had the information a few weeks after your announced you were working on a cure for the disease that is devastating our society, already around thirty people have died since this summer. This cure represent glory and recognition and loads of money for the one who will find it, right ?'

'Yes, that's a really big case to be on, I know. You really think it's because of it ?'

'Well, it's safe to say that my instincts point that way... The letter came to the office a few weeks after you started working on it, enough time to place the 'evidences' in the files. Since no one knows when the inspection of your shop are done every years, they probably didn't know that we've been there the day you received all you needed to start your work and that I knew there was nothing to notice in those files.' he stopped, gauging my reaction. For my part I was thoughtful. Was working on that cure the reason why it happened ? Who was able to try to profit of a situation where people were dying ? As if reading my thoughts, the auror opened his mouth to make me see he was about to say something.

'Don't you think most people would love to have glory and recognition and loads of money for saving lots of lives ?'

'I guess...' I said hesitantly, still thinking it over in my mind.

'You don't ?' asked the sandy-haired boy, curiosity showing in his eyes. I didn't answer right away and pondered on the answer. Was I doing it for those reasons ? For the wrong reasons ?

'No, I don't. I just want to help people and repair what I have done before. And help improve the knowledge in potions mastering and healing. If in the future my name will be remembered for that, then it's even better. But I suppose I'm just trying to balance things, to repair what I've done... I don't want money, I already have it. And glory and recognition ?' I snorted sarcastically. 'It's out of my reach, Auror Lupin.'


	8. What about my son ?

Chapter 8

Lupin left about an hour later, after I gave him a list of all the potions masters that might hold a big grudge against me. If it was really one of them, I would be really pissed, because I've always proposed them to work together and they've always refused, saying for some that they didn't work well with other people, for others that it wouldn't be convenient because one of them would have had to go work in the other's lab which would be bad for one's shop. None of them admitted in his face that they just didn't want to risk their chances for the gratitude and glory by working with Draco Malfoy, Ex-Death Eater.

After he was left alone, he hesitated for a while : he wanted to go back to work, he hadn't been working on his project since Saturday, but on the other hand, he knew Astoria had probably heard what happened and would be mad and even madder if he wasn't to be home early. But still, he knew he couldn't share the truth with her for now, and he dreaded the confrontation.

He eventually decided that pushing things off wouldn't do any good and went to close the shop, Sarah had left while he was talking with Lupin, and headed to the apparition point. When his feet landed on the porch of the manor, he felt queasy and he knew it hadn't only been caused by the apparition. He was really dreading the moment he'll see his wife.

He stepped into the house and Boky, the house elf apparated in front of him and took his cloak. He then went to search Astoria, knowing it was better to go to her rather than the contrary. He found her in the library, reading a book , well, more like staring at the book, flipping a page once in a while, to pretend she was reading it.

'Astoria ?'

'Yes, Draco ?' she said coldly.

'I suppose you've heard what happened today ?' I quietly asked.

'Yes, I have, Draco.'

'Okay, then don't you have anything to say about it ?'

'What would you want me to say, Draco ?'

I glared at her.

'Fine, then I'll just go have dinner and go to bed if you have nothing to say.'

'Alright, Draco.'

I scowlded at her and gave her another glare. How could she just act like that ? Behave as if she believed what I had been accused of ? Or maybe she was the informator ? And had started to play the poor innocent and betrayed wife who had no idea ? Maybe Lupin was actually right not to erase her name of the list of suspects. I forced myself to stopped thinking like that. Of course not, it wasn't that and I was just exhausted and imagining things ! She had no reason to want me in Azkaban. She was just mad that I may have done it and wanted me to reassure her that all that wasn't true and that I was really the good man she saw in me... But I couldn't do that, I needed to keep in mind that letting anyone know of the truth and the aurors' plan might compromise it and they could never catch my enemy.

I headed towards the kitchen and saw Boky at the stove, cooking dinner.

'Will it be ready soon ?'

'Yes, Master. Boky is being almost done, sir.'

'Great, thank you, Boky.'

With that I went to the dining room next door and help myself with a glass of Ogden's Firewhiskey. The alcohol burned my throat a little at first, but I welcomed the warm it dissolved into by body. I hadn't realised that I was cold. And the weird thing was that I had no reason to be. Well, no physical reason. But I guess thinking that your wife might try to get you imprisonned is surely not something to make you feel warm and loved. Ugh ! I was just torturing myself. I sat down at one end of the long table and stared at the contents of my glass, sipping it once in while. I had been there for about fifteen minutes, thinking about who could have the most important reasons to get me locked up when I heard a 'toc' on the one of the windows. I tore my eyes away from my glass and saw that an owl was begging entrance. I recognized it as my son's, Lincoln. I stand up and went opening the window to let the brown owl come on my shoulder, extended his leg for me to take the scroll of parchment that was attached to it.

The owl stretched his wings and took flight again, leaving to go back to Hogwarts, certainly after chasing a mouse or two. I unrolled the parchment and read :

_Dear Dad,_

_We won ! My first Quidditch match and we won ! Well, of course, it was against the Ravenclaw and their team this year isn't all that great, but still, most of our players had never played with the others until the start of the training and we had to change one of the chaser, because the former got expelled from the team a month after we started. So it is great ! It announces a better year for Slytheryn on the Quidditch pitch and I yearn to play against Gryffindor ! Their keeper, James Potter, is quite a show and it's gonna be hard to score against him, but I'll make sure to try as hard as I can !_

_I was actually surprise to see that the second Potter wasn't on the Gryffindor team again, but I guess his cousins took all the positions already ! It's alright though, it makes me want to beat them even more already, because they know one another so well that they have a considerable advantage on the other teams... I wanna show them that they're not invincible._

_Anyway, at potions this morning, one of my doormates, Goyle, did something wrong with his potions and now he's got huge spots all over his face ! I swear, dad, this guy really have no brain at all, I wonder how he even passed first year exams..._

_Oh and I got to use one of the prank that I bought at Hogsmead yesterday. It was so cool, Filch didn't know where to look and what to do. But I promised no one was harmed, dad, it was just for fun. But you should have seen the old guy's face, it was hilarious ! _

_Well, I should go now, it's almost time to go back to class, I've got DADA, this afternoon, we're gonna study boggarts, apparently, wonder if this time, it will be a practical class again, that would be so cool !_

_I love you, dad !_

_Scorpius_

_PS : Please, tell mom I say 'Hi' !_

At the end of the letter I had a huge grin on the face. I loved those letter from Scorpius, though I would never admit why. I loved the fact that in everything he said it was crystal clear he was having the time of his life, and I was grateful that he wasn't outcasted by other students because of his name, however I also loved to notice how similar and at the same time different his life over there is to mine. The Quidditch, how he loved it and was on the team, facing a Potter, but not on the same position, and truth be said, with better results ! Greg's son and how he was exactly like his father, though Scorpius, unlike me would never spend any time with him unless necessary. How he loved to prank other students too, but did it the nice way, the way even the taunted kids could laugh along with the others. It was never at the expense of the victims but to laugh and make laugh.

His son was far more better than him and Draco was proud of him and happy that he did better than his own father at raising Scorpius. He and Astoria never taught him the pure-blood ideology and manners that came with it. Of course he was well-mannered and polite. But we didn't want him to show up all the time, feeling superior to everyone as I did. And I was so glad that everything seemed to be alright for him in life, that he would never have to put up with the same things I had.

And then I realised that what happened today will have repercussions on his life at Hogwarts. The students will surely see him as a dark-arts lover when my misadventure will be in all the newspapers. And it will : An ex-death eater arrested for possession of dark items and pratice of the dark arts. That's what the wizarding world was waiting from me the whole time and now there gonna be overjoyed to 'see' that they 'were right' all along...

And if I dreaded the reaction people will have against Scorpius, I also dreaded his reaction against me. Scorpius loved me just as much as I loved him, and I didn't want to see the disappointment that would fill his eyes when I won't be able to tell him right away that it's all false, that I didn't do anything of what will be said. At least about what I did now, not in the past. He already know that, I told him everything before he went to Hogwarts because I wasn't sure how the others would accept him and I was sure that someone will tell him anyway. I wanted to be the one. To once again face the consequences of my doings.

I was really hoping that he wouldn't have to suffer to much from what was happening here, to me. I wouldn't be able to stand it and accept it.

Boky came in and brougth the dishes on the table. She then told me that she was to announced that dinner was ready to Astoria and disapparated. I sat at the table in front of my plate, the glass of Firewhiskey still in my hand. Astoria didn't come. And I just stared at my plate thinking of my son for twenty minutes, eating nothing, all appetit gone. After half an hour I stood up, left my meal untouched and went to bed.


	9. Meeting Astoria Malfoy

Chapter 9 : Meeting Astoria Malfoy

It had been two weeks since the case started and saying that they hadn't got any real lead was the understatement of the year. They had yet to toss anyone from the list of suspects but having barely assumptions on the motives those men and women had to destroy Draco Malfoy's life wasn't proof enough to got see and ask them if they tried to get the aurors to arrest the guy. And Teddy Lupin still hadn't met Astoria Malfoy yet.

But that was planned for this day. The potion master had contacted him to let him know that his wife would be at Diagon Alley for some shopping in the afternoon. The auror had decided to go, enter the same shop as her and run into her "accidently". He would then introduce himself, and ewplained that he knew who she was because of their "family connection" and that he heard at the office what happened to "his cousin he actually hesitated to contact all his life, but never dared, for fear of rejection" and asked her innocently how that was going. Clearly, he didn't want to hear that another one of his relatives was involded in the Dark Arts.

That's why at around three o'clock that afternoon, he found himself sitting at a table in the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for her to enter the pub. He knew she was supposed to come at around three and had been here fifteen minutes earlier to make sure he wouldn't miss her. He was about to finish his glass of butterbeer when she appeared, greeted Hannah Longbottom who was standing behing the bar, cleaning a glass, and made her way through the room to reach the back door, from where one could get to Diagon Alley. He waited about twenty seconds, enough time for her to open the archway and got up and followed, reaching the entryway of the street right before it was about to close up. He stepped onto the pavement of Diagon Alley and heard the archway disappear behind him. He looked around and catch a glimpse of her entering Eeylops Owl Emporium. He stayed out of the shops, headed to the shop opposite, Quality Quidditch Supplies and looked at the glass, pretending to stare admiring the new Nimbus 3000 whereas he was waiting for her to exit the shop. When she left the Owl themed shop, she went on her way to enter Madam Malkin's. Not willing to "run into her" there, he went to the simple coffee shop that, as Harry had told him when he was a kid and that they came here to buy all I needed for Hgwarts for the first time, replaced an ice cream shop. The auror ordered a coffee and sat at the terrace watching the street, looking at everyone, glancing at Madam Malkin's door quite often, making sure Malfoy's wife wasn't coming out. He waited for forty five minutes, with another cup of coffee ordered then saw her leaving the shop. He finished his cup which was almost empty and followed her discreetly, but didn't went far, as she passed the doorway of Flourish and Blott's. Hz decided it was time, that the shop would be a good place to get in touch with her. The young man entered the shop himself, watched her going to the fictions section and went to the hisory section from which he could observe her. She picked up some books, read the summaries of some of them. She put back most on the shelves and took three away with her. Her "stalker" picked up two books, about the Goblins Rebellion and the reconstruction of the ministry after the Second Wizarding World. He took the aisle parallele to hers and watch her as she made her way to the potions section. The section near it was the Defense section and I got at the edge of it, picked up some books and then crossed the aisle she was in. Just before reaching her level, I "stumbled", let my books drop and '"instinctively" gripped her shoulders as not to fall entirely.

'Oh, Merlin ! I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I didn't mean to...'

'It's okay, no harm there.' she cut him shortly. The sandy-haired boy let go of her and picked up the books that laid on the floor, hers too as she had dropped with the shock of having him falling on her.

'Hey, you're Mrs Malfoy ?' he asked, feigning surprise.

'Yes, and you are ?' she asked, suspicion tainting her voice.

'O, sorry. My name's Teddy Lupin. I'm your husband's cousin's son, though my mother is dead. Has been for a long time... I've never known her actually : she and my father died when I was like, two weeks old. They fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and never came back home to my grand-mother, your husband's aunt Andromeda. It's actually her sister who killed my mum. Yeah, she was crazy, this one, heard loads of story about how she also killed her own cousin, Sirius Black... He was my Godfather's Godfather and my dad's best friend... Anyway, sorry about falling on you like that and scaring you by gripping you. And babbling about crazy stupid things you don't even care about...' the metamorphmagus said, barely breathing giving her a huge 'friendly' smile to avoid her being able to talk to leave.

'Maybe I could buy you a cup of tea as an apology. I know Mr Malfoy and I are not really close... Well, actually I've never met him, though it's not that I don't want to, because I would love to know someone who shares my blood. But I don't really know how to approach him. I mean, he never met my mother, only met my grandmother a few times and they barely spoke. Plus he was archnemesis with my godfather at school, so, yeah, I don't really have the best background to come along and said 'Hi, do you wanna share hugs an christmas gift with me !?'. Oh, sorry, I speak to much, I babble, sorry. It's just that I'm nervous and I tend to do that when I'm nervous like that _'

'It's alright.' she said while giving him a motherly smile. 'I'd like a cup of tea. Thank you.'

He make my eyes widen and another goofy smile to show his "happiness at the perspective of an opportunity to maybe get in touch with the Malfoys".

'Great ! Then I guess we should pay for those books and go get that cup !'

They headed to the counter where Mister Flourish was standing and he let her go before him. He watched the books she chose and noted that besides the three books of fiction she had taken, there were also four books about potions. He tried to see the titles to remember them, but unfortunately, he couldn't read them. He told myself not to forget to ask Malfoy if he had asked his wife to pick some potions textbooks for him during this shopping trip. If not, this could not be considered innocent, it was suspicious if anything. The auror didn't – couldn't – believe that this meant nothing.

He realized that she and the shopkeeper were both staring at him intently.

'Sorry' he said, smiling sheepishly. 'I must have zoned out.'

'It's alright' the old man replied, taking the books the younger man was handling him. 'Oh, the Goblin Revolution ? This book is really good, it described beautifully how those events happened and what led to them. If that's really what you're into, I think you'll particularily enjoy it.' the old man said a big smile on his face, looking like he expected an answer about whether or not this book was for myself.

'Oh, I'm sure I would but, this book's not for myself, unfortunately. We're already in November and with my pay, I'm afraid I cannot afford to buy every Christmas gift only in December, so I begin now to buy it, so I won't be ruined by the end of december. I've got a pretty big family, therefore they are lots of presents to buy, I like to be prepared.'

'I understand, well, I really hope that the person you'll give this book will like it anyway.'

'Believe me, I'm sure she will ! My aunt loves books. And she works at the Regulations of Magical Creatures department at the Ministry and I'm sure that this book will be more helpful than Mr Binns classes at Hogwarts ! Though I'm sure she was really attentive in his classes, I mean, she was in all classes, that's at least what my uncleand godfather always say.'

He knew he was rambling but he wanted to say a lot of things, trying to make Malfoy's wife trust that he was here to actually buy these books and not have her suspicious on why someone related to her husband that she had never heard of before, at least she never met, was appearing suddenly in the middle of a bookstore talking to her.

He handed the shopkeeper the money that was dued and smiled at her.

'So, are we going to have that cup of tea ?'

'Yes, lead the way, Mr Lupin.' she answered

Teddy had spent over ten minutes with Astoria Malfoy at the café, sipping a cup of tea while glancing awkwardly at each other. When Teddy had thought it was time to start acting the cousin-that-never-got-a-chance-to-get-to-know-you play he finally began to fill the silence that was obvioulsy putting her on edge.

'So... uhm, like I said earlier, my mother was your husband's cousin.' he said with a fake warm-smile.

'Oh, well I wasn't aware of it. My husband never really talks about his family, what with what happened during the war.' she answered avoiding Teddy's stare.

'Yes, I know what happened. I mean, Seeing who my godfather is, and that my parents actually died during this war, that it made me an orphan...'

Astoria shifted on her chair, clearly ill-at-ease.

'Uhm, yes... I'm sorry for your parents...'

'Thank you. I guess you just learn to live with it. Besides, I know they did it to try to make a better world for me to live in.' IHe added as an afterthought. 'They fought for me at the end, and i'll always miss them, but I know that everything they did was for something worth it. We now live in a world where prejudiced people are everyday less and less.'

'Yes.' she said smiling and looking in Teddy's eyes for the first time since entering the shop. 'I am a pureblood but that doesn't mean that I understand the hatred that some of us had to muggleborns and muggles, or halfbreeds as your father.' She looked pensieve for a moment ans then : 'He was the best DADA teacher I had during my time at Hogwarts, even Snape wasn't as good. Your father always tried to understand why a student didn't manage to do a spell, or what they didn't understand about the lesson. He never said once that we would never be able to do anything with the non-even brain of ours.'

I gave a small smile, thinking that it was weird to hear someone like her say that. I thought that any Slytherin wold have always said that he was the worst teacher they ever had because of what he was.

'Thank you, for telling me.' the sandy-haired boy said quietly, almost a whisper. 'I... I miss them, but I always try to be the best I can, so I can be sure, they are proud of me, no matter where they are now.'

'Well, I don't much about you, but you must be someone really good, to be talking to me, despite the role my husband and his family had held during the war.'

'It's the past, and I know your husband did what he had to do to survive and protect his family. That he never really meant what he did but had to do it. That's at least what Harry told me.'

'I didn't know that Mister Potter...' she said gobsmacked.

'I know, Harry's not the type to hold a grudge, plus he knows, just as I do, that he shouldn't have had to fight this war, just as any of the kids that were at Hogwarts at the time, including your husband.'

'Thank you' she whispered, and Teddy could see relief and gratitude in her eyes.

* * *

AN : So ? Wh at do you think ? Is this story good so far or could I make some change to make it better ? I'd really like to have your opinion to help me go on with the story. So please, review ? :D

Anyway, I've a few chapters already writen, I've just got to check the grammar and the spelling then they'll be ready for me to update the story, so the story will be updated again soon. Besides, I finished my exams a few days ago, so I'll have more time to write, which I'll update more than in the past months.


	10. Auror Weasley's opinion

Chapter 10 : Auror Weasley's opinion

'So how did it go with Malfoy's wife ?'

Teddy was in his surrogate uncle's office. Ron Weasley was sitting in his comfortable chair behind his desk, leaning against the back of his chair, his feet spread in front of him.

'Well, I don't really know what to think of her.'

'Oh come on, Teddy ! You always figure out everyone on your first encounter !' the older man said laughing.

'That's not true, you know that.' Teddy mumbled. 'I don't know, she seems nice, but I know she's hiding something, but I don't know, it might be a cover not to show, she's ashamed of her husband and...'

'Ha ! Of course she must be ashamed of him, he was a fuckin' Death Eater, Teddy, she's only married to him because their fathers had signed a contract that was impssible for them to cancel !'

'Well, maybe, but really, the man managed to change the idea people had of him, he hadn't done anything wrong since the end of the war... And I don't know !'

'Come on, kiddo, stop saying that ! Of course you know ! Maybe Harry was right when he said you might not be as objective as usually because you're biologically related to the bloody guy.' Ron stated defiantly.

'Or maybe it's the fact that he can't live a normal life because of what he'd been forced to do when he was a kid, younger that I am now ?'

'I, oh come on !' exclaimed the red-haired.

'Come on, old man, stop saying that !' Teddy echoed Ron's earlier words. 'I know what you think of Malfoy, but I've read his file, and I was there at the first inspection. And I have a more objective regard on him, considering we don't have any history, contrary to you !'

'Uh ! Yeah, you don't ! You don't know the guy and believe me, you don't want to.' Ron said, a murderous glare in the eyes.

Teddy furrowed his brow.

'You don't know him either. Stop pretending, Ron. You knew the teenager he was, before the war, you've got no idea what kind of man he became.'

'I know what he became ! He hasn't changed a bit, he's still a pureblood supremacist, who surely practice Dark Arts, but is clever enough not to get caught and he's an ass !' the red-haired exclaimed.

'Maybe you haven't changed, doesn't mean it's something nobody's capable of !' the younger one replied shortly

Teddy regreted those words even before they passed his mouth. Ron stared at him open-mouthed, his face blank. They stayed silent for a fex minutes.

'Ron, I'm sorry... I know the war changed you, and that you've been... That you've lost a lot and that I can't understand, because I was like two weeks old when it ended. But...'

'No you don't, no you don't know anything ! You know what Malofy did ? He's responsible for the death of Albus Dumbledore ! He was there when Hermione got tortured by his aunt and he didn't do anything ! He spent all the time he was around Harry, Hermione and I insulting us and making our life hell ! He's been unrespectful to your father because he was clearly poor and he didn't even know he was a werewolf ! He was a git and then he became a Death Eater and he was even worse. Don't you think he never meant to do all those things he did, no matter what Harry says !' Ron cut him, his voice growing louder and louder as he gave his speech.

'I think I'll make my own opinion, Ron. Now, the wife, because that's why we're here. I don't know what to think of her, but she might not be totally innocent, or what's happening might just be a relief to her because it might offer her an exit from this marriage that, from what you said, wasn't what she wanted.'

'Alright, we don't get her out of the suspect list. Though, if that's her, I'm not sure I'll send her in Azkaban, I might just send her flowers !'

'You're supposed to do your job, Ron, You can't choose when you do it and when you don't.'

Ron chuckled humorlsessly, shaking his head.

'That's exactly what Harry said. But you know what ? Maybe she just did that so he could get caught, because she knows he does use Dark magic but he does it really cleverly and in ways that assure him to never get caught !'

'Or maybe it's someone else, and that he really doesn't use Dark Arts ! You don't know, Ron ! You can't know ! And the fact that you're saying things like this makes me doubt of your judgement.'

'Well, good because I doubt of yours, _Auror Lupin_ ! Who do you think they'll listen to, huh ?' he asked quite proud of himself.

'Considering Harry already told you that you can't choose when you do your job the proper way, it mean that you held the same speech to him, so maybe, just maybe, it'll be in my favor, no matter how young and novice I am in this job.' the younger Auror defied.

'You wouldn't dare !' snapped the red-haired man.

'Make me, _Auror Weasley_. I understand that you have history with Mister Malfoy, it doesn't mean you don't have to explore every possiblity on this case. Be an Auror, Uncle Ron. A good one, the one you were that made me wanna become one, each time I heard you and Harry talk about this job.'

With that, he turned around and left the office, slamming the door. Ron Weasley stared at the door, baffled by what his surrogate nephew had said to him, and how determined he was. But he couldn't understand, not really, because he hadn't lost as much as him in the war, and he hadn't felt the loss at the time, he was just a baby. Ron, himslef had lost a brother, saw all his friends suffer, the love of his life being tortured, he had lost some of his childhood, at least during his years at Hogwarts, the time he spent always following Harry to help him go through everything Stupid Snake-face threw at him. He knew Malfoy hadn't change, he was a pureblood supremacist, a racist and a monster. Those people never changed. And Ron knew that Teddy would get hurt if he believe to hard that Malfoy wasn't guilty of something and that he was the one who needed to be protected. Teddy would see how wrong he was. Unfortunately, Harry too believed, at least, that they had to do the job, no matter the circumpstancies, or who it involved. It was as if they were supposed to do their jobs under the Imperius curse, without objecting to anything, just like some beated puppy would obey their beater. It was disgusting. But Ron wouldn't let them manipulate him so he would do his job without showing the world what a bloody Death Eater Draco Malfoy was, and how much he still believed in everything he fought for during the war, even if twenty years had passed since.

* * *

AN : Not much, I know, sorry, but this scene is mostly just to introduce the next one which is quite longer than this one... Anyway, hope you enjoyed : )


	11. Weasley Sunday lunch

Chapter 11 : Weasley Sunday lunch

The traditionnal Weasley Sunday lunch was something that had been done since Ron and Hermione got married and bought a house together. Molly wanted to make sure that all her children would get together around the table in the kitchen of the house they grew up with as often as possible and would never forget where they come from. So each Sunday, it was quite a noisy and brilliant mess at the Burrow, with all of Molly and Arthur's kids (and grandkids when they weren't at Hogwarts), which meant quite a lot of people. Bill, the elder one, had three kids with his beautiful wife, Fleur : Victoire, Dominique, the girls, and then Louis.

Percy met Audrey at the ministry and after quite a while of dating, he finally proposed and they got married to the pleasure and excitement of one Molly Weasley as always. They got two daughter, Molly and Lucy.

George, after losing his twin took some time to get better and keep on with his life the way Fred would've wanted him to, but he managed, though his smile was never quite the same. Some years passed until he met Angelina Johnson again, in Diagon Alley and offered her to go to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. After that, they never left each other, married and gave birth to Fred and Roxanne ( Fred of course taking a lot after his namesake).

Ron, of course married Hermione Granger, though their relationship didn't start full of love, but hey, you know the story, right ?! Anyway, they married about two years after the end of the war and after a while, Rose was born, soon joined by her brother Hugo.

Ginny, herself, finally got the crush of her life, Harry Potter and married a few month after Ron and Hermione. From their union were born, James, Albus and Lily. And of course, Teddy was there too, being Harry's godson, and had he not been he would still be family, that's how much the Weasley clan loved him.

Charlie never married, or maybe he did secretly to Norberta the dragon. But her mother never bothered him about it. She didn't want to get in a fight with him to lose him like she had lost Fred.

So, each Sunday, fifteen (twenty-three with all the kids, twenty-four when Teddy's grandmother Andromeda joined them) gathered at the burrow. It was always a moment Harry loved, but this week, he was dreading it. He knew Teddy and Ron got into a fight about the Malfoy case and was afraid of them bringing the subject and he knew that Teddy wouldn't get a lot of people on his side about it.

Ginny thought exactly the same as Ron, though she didn't say it out loud, however, Harry didn't have any illusions about it. He understood that they had lost a lot, he himslef had lost a lot. But he knew it didn't mean they had any right to take it all out on a guy who was as old as they were and didn't really have any choice about what was going on. Harry knew for Draco Malfoy it was either he behaved as Voldemort wished or he died. He was just stuck in the same shit as anyone at the time, maybe even worse, having Snake-face living in his home.

Geroge had reasons to hate everyone that fought for the Dark during the war, he lost half of himself because for years, the twin had made one together. So, Harry was less angry at him for being so unforgiving, but that didn't mean he wouldn't accept it if he was to attack Teddy for his opinion about Malfoy. Teddy had lost a lot too, his parents, he grew an orphan and that's something the Weasleys would never be able to understand and though Teddy had a family and people who loved him, that didn't make it any easier for him to live without hurting from missing his parents.

Percy thought just the same, but didn't talk a lot about it because of the position he took right after Voldemort's return when the Ministry denied it entirely and made hell of Dumbledore's and Harry's life. But Harry knew that if he had to take a side on a fight between his brother and Teddy, to whom he'd never been really close, he would chose to stick with Ron, and say exactly what he thinks about Malfoy.

Bill and Charlie were more balanced about it, they didn't think the blond man was responsible for everything, and would probably try to temper Ron. They also always had a soft spot for the metamorphmagus, who of course reminded them of his mother, who was one of their closest friends at Hogwarts and even after when they left the country. But they wouldn't fight really hard for Teddy, they wouldn't want to really upset their brother either.

So Harry knew that if Ron were to bring the subject, because, really, it would be him who would bring it, he knew Teddy would have to go through a really difficult moment and have most of the Weasleys glare murderously at him, snapping at him that he would never understand anything about the war. Besides Molly would start crying for Fred, and Tonks and Lupin, and how she almost lost everyone she loved, how scary it was, and really, why did they have to bring the subject ?

For now everyone was taking their seat around the kitchen table, the kids were eating in the living room when they were here, the kitchen being to small for everyone to fit in. Teddy and Victoire stayed at the adult table now that they were both of age and working. Harry sat between Teddy and Bill, Ginny and Hermione sat close to Molly, who sit at one of the end of the table, Arthur sitting at the other, with George and Ron at his sides. Charlie was sitting next to Ron and Teddy. Fleur sat by Bill, next to Hermione. Angelina was next to her husband too, Audrey at her left, with Percy, and Victoire sat next to Ginny.

George, Ron and Angelina were talking about Quidditch, Arthur was listening with a contented smile on his face, Charlie was talking to Teddy about some stories from his time at Hogwarts with Tonks. At the other end of the table, Fleur was talking about the fashion in France, all the girls around listening attentively. Bill, Percy and Audrey were talking about a new reglementation the Ministry passed about Gringott's. Harry was listening to everyone, happy to be surrounded by the family that adopted him.

Everyone was talking while eating, the dishes in the middle of the table being emptied as everyone helped themselves once again to mashed potatoes, roastbeef, chicken, and beans. They all seemed happy to be here, with all the people they loves, though they knew that at some point, like every Sunday, some would be bickering about something unimportant, just for the sake of bickering.

Charlie was explaining to Teddy that when his mother had said to her friends she wanted to be an auror, most of them had laughed at her, that they thought she would never make it and that the simple idea of her in the scarlet robes dueling a dark wizards was hilarious. Apparently Ron had overheard that and glanced at Teddy, with a not so nice look. Harry thought 'Here we are.' and rolled his eyes, already preparing himself for what was coming.

'So, Charlie, how did Tonks react to that ? I mean, she was a _good auror_, one that forces admiration and would have never defended a dark wizard over someone who might have done something bad to them to defend themselves.' Ron said knowingly, staring at Teddy.

'Well, subtility was never his thing.' thought Harry.

'Oh, she just stared at us and said : "You see, I'll become one one day and I'll look down at you saying over and over that I told you so!" and she just left, but she wasn't really upset, she was expecting this kind of reaction from us, I mean, we were a bunch of boys and it took the others quite some time to get used to her around, though we all loved her.' Charlie said, looking awkwardly at Ron, knowing something was off with his brother.

'Uh, that's Tonks, right Teddy ?' he said defiantly.

Everyone stared at him, gobsacked and completely lost at what was going on. It lasted a few minutes, Ron staring at Teddy pretending to wait politely for the answer. Teddy was looking down at his food in his plate, quite mad. Finally, it's Molly that recovered first.

'RON ! How can you say that ? Do you know how cruel you are being right now ?' she fumed.

'No, I wanna answer that Granny.' said Teddy quietly, looking at her with a sad smile. He turned to Ron, and the smile disappeared. There was nothing left in his eyes except from hurt and pain. 'I can't really answer, actually, and I know what you mean with that. I know you don't think I've got any idea, but that's the point, right ? I didn't know him when it all happened and I can think of him as another case. You can't. I lost my parents during the war and never had the chance to know them, and believe me that hurts. And _you'_ll never know how that feels, Ron. I know that he could have fought back, came to you, but really ? Can you honestly say that you would have welcomed him with open arms ? Besides he would have lost his parents ! If Granny and Granddad would have been on the wrong side, would you have done something that you knew for sure would have led them to their death ? I know what you lost during the war, what you all lost. And I can't understand, I'm aware of that, you don't have to keep telling me over and over. But Draco Malfoy (gasps and eyes widening for almost everyone) did what he had to do to survive, just like you did. And he was loyal, not to Voldemort but to his family and the people he loved. You can't really say the same, from what I've heard. And, yes he fought for the Dark, but imagine, what if your parents were pureblood supremacist and that you'd had your heads being filled everyday with all those thoughts and prejudiced ideas and all ? Uhm ? Education is everything most of the time. And yes, you're gonna give me examples of people defying their education such as Sirius Black and even my grandmother. But you only know them because they fought and were the excpetions. And exceptions means that there's a general rule that doesn't need examples to learn by heart. Besides they had people to show and tell them otherwise from what their parents taught them. I don't think Malfoy had anyone else besides from his parents.'

'You've got just no idea what you're talking about, kid !' Ron yelled, his face a brilliant shade of crimson.

'About what ? The education thing ? Or you not being as loyal as Draco Malfoy ?' This time it was Teddy who was defying Ron. And to Harry's surprise no one came to defend Ron.

'You don't know how it was ! That year ! You've got no idea.'

'I may not, but from the letter my parents left me before they went to the fight that killed them, I know that they wouldn't have wanted me to be prejudiced and I think that's exactly what you are. Against Malfoy.'

Harry thought at that moment that Ron's eyes would bulge out of their orbits. They were so wide that they could have just fallen off their sockets.

'I am prejudiced against Malfoy ?!' he said unbelieving. 'You think I am prejudiced against that git, when I've know him since we were eleven ? And that he made our life hell for years ? I am prejudiced and he called Hermione a Mudblood all the time, that he just saw Harry as a glory and attention sucker and that I was just as bad because we had no money and were bloodtraitors ? I am prejudiced, that's so... Fuck, Teddy ? Do you think before talking, or are you just a fucking clumsy idiot, for gods-'

'You stop right now.' growled Harry who gave Ron the most terrifying glare.

Ron stood there, not even realising that he had stand up, his mouth hanging open and low. Everyone had their eyes looking back and forth between the only three men who had spoken for the last ten minutes.

'You don't ever talk to my godson like that ! You talk about how you know how Tonks was, how an amazing auror she was and then you just go around insulting her son ?' Harry said his voice low, threat in it, though barely remarkable.

'I... Harry... I... He was insulting me !' Ron said pleadingly, trying to defend himself to his best friend who was so obviously against him.

'Oh, really ? By saying the truth ?' said Harry still staring menacingly at Ron. He knew that it would really harm his friendship with Ron, but if the latter couldn't see how wrong he was to talk to Teddy like that just because he couldn't admit his own fault and was acting as if he knew better, maybe it was time finally to make him understand that it was time he grew up and move from the aftermath of the war.

'He wasn't saying the truth, Harry, it was bullshit !'

'Bullshit ?' Harry chuckling humorlessly. 'I don't think it was. No, I believe he quite figured you out, actually.'

'I can't believe you're saying this Harry ! You're my best friend, you're supposed to defend me !'

'Like you did when everyone believe I cheated to put my name in the goblet of fire at the Triwizard Tournament ? When you left Hermione and I the year we left Hogwarts ? Don't look at me like that, I know you regret it and feel ashamed of it, but you have to accept that you did it. So, yeah, I believe that Malfoy might be more loyal than you to the people he loves the most.'

'Harr-' Ron tried to say.

'Don't.' Harry cut him again. 'I love you, okay ? You're my best friend and family and all, but Teddy's my godson and one of the most important person to me too. And right now, I believe he's right and you have no right to talk to him like that. Don't ever do it again.'

Harry stared at Ron for a few more seconds and turned to his plate.

'Sorry everyone.' he said looking around. Teddy just stared at nothing, not quite sure if it was okay or not to look at anyone, knowing he would be the one to catch the murderous glare from his family.

'I can't believe it !' a voice finally exploded. Ginny stand up, glaring at her husband. 'You would fight with your best friend, your brother even, over Malfoy ! I can't believe it !'

Harry looked up at her, looking a little bored. 'I didn't fight with him over Malfoy but Teddy, if you can't tell the difference I'm sorry Gin.'

'You're sorry' she repeated indignitely. 'You're sorry ! Do you really believe you can bring it all back that way with no consequences ?' she yelled.

'I didn't bring it all back, Ron did ! He's the one who decided to start Teddy on the subject ! I can't let him talk like that about my godson, especially when he just said something that I believe to be true.'

'So you really believe that my brother is an unloyal, prejudiced git ?! He stuck up with you for almost thirty years !'

'Not always and you know it ! He had his moments when he doubted and I can understand. But he can't still see Malfoy as the perfect symbol of the Death Eater ! He never was and I know you think exactly like Ron, most of you actually, but you never saw him when he was the most vulnerable. I did. And trust me, he was just as scared as any of us, feeling as hopeless as we did. And you have to stop to put every bad thing that happened on him.'

'Come on ! You know he's responsible for Dumbledore's death ! He didn't move when Hermione was tortured !' Ginny snapped fiercely.

'We all know that Dumbledore would have died anyway, Ginny.' Hermione said firmly. 'He was wounded and ready to die. And it was a good thing because I believe that if Voldemort hadn't put the school under Snape's control, it would've been a lot worse. Though I know you don't believe so. And as for when I was tortured ? Really, what could he have done ? Jumped on his aunt to get killed and let the way open for her to keep going ? That would've been a stupid move.'

She looked up at Ginny who looked at her looking disgusted and then turned to Harry to give him a small smile.

'He could have handed Harry to Voldemort then but he didn't, I don't think he really believed in the pureblood ideology, but he got caught into this because of his father. Do you really think you would have been a part of the Order if your parents hadn't been, Ginny ?'

Ginny's brow furrowed at that and she looked at everyone around the table for support. She set her look on Bill.

'Bill, he's the reason why you got attacked by Greyback ! Why don't you tell her how much that shit of a man caused you !?'

Bill just stared at her and then shook his head, his earing balancing from right to left.

'Don't put me in this, Ginny. He wasn't responsible for it. He couldn't have planned on us being there at the time they got in, and Greyback to be one of them. And Greyback attacked a lot of people that year and the next one. It could have happened any time.' he stated calmly.

'He was staring at Tonks's and Lupin's bodies after the battle. I was supposed to move them, and when I got there, he was standing in front of them, staring blankly at them, but I knew he saw them, you know, he wasn't just staring at nothing. He knew who she was, and when I talked to him, to tell him I had to move them, he looked at me and at the time I thought I saw regret in his eyes but I wasn't sure and, well, he just turned around and left the Great Hall, so...'

Everyone was now staring at Charile, who looked at nothing, was just remembering the scene in his mind.

'I think he lost just as much as we did, Ron, and even more, because everyone just took everyting out on him, as he was the only one who was not sent to Azkaban or on house arrest after the trials.' George said an apologetic look at his brother and sister. 'I know I've been saying all kind of things about him, but, he's trying to pay for what he's done, and he does even though, I think, he never did anything because he meant it. Maybe he needs to clear his conscious off, but if he didn't then it would mean that he hadn't any regrets.'

Everyone was now staring at their food, no one peeping a word.

'I think I'm gonna take the case, Ron.' Harry said. 'I don't want it to cause fights between us or you and Teddy. And I know if you're one it, that's what's gonna happen.'

Ron looked up to Harry looking like he was relieved.

'Fine.' he said trying to keep up apparences.

'Alright.' ended Harry.

The end of the lunch was awkward for everyone, but for the first time that Harry could remember, Molly Weasley hadn't cry when the war had been mentioned.


	12. The list

I haven't done it in the passed chapters, but I'm gonna do it here, though it's quite obvious : Harry Potter's not mine...

* * *

Chapter 12 : The list

I got called to the Ministry the Monday after the afternoon Lupin was supposed to "accidently" meet Astoria. When I got there, I headed for the Weasel's office, as I always did when I came to the auror office to talk about the case, when Potter called my name and gestured for me to follow him.

I entered his office, surprised to be here. He offered me to sit down on one of the comfortable looking, forrest green chair in front of his desk, while he was himself sitting down on his imposant one. He gave me a smile, and I was feeling pretty gobsmacked though I kept my composure. So I sat down and opened my mouth, but no sound came. I tried once again, and miracle, it worked.

'Why am I here ?' I asked him, sure some of my confusion was showing on my face.

'To talk about the case.' he answered gently, taking a file from the left corner of his desk.

'Yeah, I know, but why am I here, in your office ?'

'I took the case.' he stated, avoiding my eyes.

'Why ?'

'Because... uhm... I miss the field.' he said, though it sounded more like a question.

'What ? Wealsey didn't want to have anything to do with me, did he ?' I said, sounding more angry that I wanted.

'Actually, that's not really it, but, they were some points of view exchanged and I realised that he wasn't particularly the best for that kind of case.' he said, letting a small smile grace his features, though, what he said made me even more angry and the smile really didn't help.

'That kind of case ? You mean the ones in which I'm involved ?'

'Uh... yeah . You're not really appreciated by him, as you must have noticed.'

'Oh, really, I had never noticed, I thought that he was just scared you might get jealous of me if we became friends !' I fumed. And he snorted. I stared at him confused and then I realised that he had planned this, getting worked up.

'Oh, you're just... I can't believe I fell for that !' I scolded myself. And he laughed.

'Me neither. Really Malfoy, you're getting soft !' he chuckled at the indignant face I must've had. Then he regained his seriousness. 'Okay, I'm gonna let Teddy investigate a lot by himself, but ask him for a report at the end of each day. I've got a lot of other things to do, considering that I'm the Head Auror, but I want this investigation treated as seriously and conscientiously as any other case.'

'Great, the Golden Boy worrying about my case not being taken seriously...' I mumbled. He sighed and fixed me intensely with his stare.

'Malfoy, Ron doesn't think we have to find who tried to get you to prison, because you deserve it anyway. He believes you actually do use Dark Arts but managed not to get caught and that someone who might have suffered because of you decided that it was time for you to respond to the authority.' he said solemnly.

'Does Auror Lupin think it might be my wife ?' I asked quite not trusting my voice. It couldn't be her, right ? It couldn't be the one I loved, the mother of my child, the one that gave me reason to try to lead a normal life after I was sentenced free on my trial. Why would she be doing that ? What reasons might she have to betray me that way, and not only destroy my life, but literally stop it by making it possible for me to spend the rest of it in a dark and smelly cell ?

'Well, he couldn't say certainly that she was free of any suspicions. But that doesn't mean it's her that did it, it might be something else entirely. He didn't interrogate her properly, just talk about things that had nothing to do with the case. He was supposed to be barely back from America and not being aware of your 'arrestation'. So he couldn't bluntly ask her if she knew you were doing that and gauge her reaction. But they of course talk about you, the role you had in the war, because it's probably a big part of the reasons why those people did it, I'm sorry to be this direct, but it's surely true.'

'I know, I'm not stupid Potter !' I snapped despite trying to hold it back.

'No, you're not. You survived in a house where Voldemort lived when he was quite dissatisfied with your family... You have to be smart for that and I know it first-hand. Look, I believe you received the appropriate sentence on you trial. And I somehow trust that you would never touch the Dark Arts ever again. But lots of people are not on the same page as I am. Most of them are good at holding grudges. And right after the war, you were the only available Death Eater to take it all out on. You were the only one people could publicly lash out on. So you took it all. And you neer complain. I admire you for that.'

I snorted. As if he really thought I would buy that...

'Yeah, well you can cut the crap Potter, and go on with what you found out about what happened.'

He chuckled.

'Draco Malfoy with no self-respect, wow, I never thought I'd see this day coming...'

'I have self-respect ! I just don't believe that you really think that about me, is it so hard to understand ! You don't have to play nice, you never did, I don't see why you should start now. You said you want this case being led seriously and conscientiously ? Then just do it and don't try to befriend me at the same time. I offered you my hand, you didn't take it, it's gone !'

He just stared at me after my outburst and for myself, I felt so embarrassed that I had let transpire so much about myself.

'Fine.' he finally said. 'But I'm not trying to befriend you, Malfoy. I really mean what I said. What happened to you is the same as me, you were just trapped on the wrong side.'

'Think whatever you want, Potter. Even you won't make people change their mind about me, so I don't think it really matters.'

He smiled kind of sadly at me at that.

'I know that, but I learned that some people don't think you're that bad, but just want someone to direct their anger at, and not being overwhelmed by the distress everyone felt at the losses they'd known at the time.' he said looking down at his hands.

'Oh, and who does that, huh ?' I ask annoyed, I knew was lying to try to make me feel better so it would be easier to work with me.

'I... It...' he stuttered. 'It doesn't matter, just... Forget it. Let's just see if you remember any of the name I'll give you and if you think that maybe those people might try to get you out of of the potions world, okay ?'

'Fine, let's do it.'

Potter took some pieces parchment out of the big file and looked over them.

'Alright, John Lewis ?'

'He's a potions masters in the north of Scotland. He was my mentor after the war, he's the only one who believed in me. I don't see why he would try to discredit me, when it would damage his reputation, because if anything happens, his name's gonna be mentioned.'

'Okay, so you wouldn't put him on the suspects list.'

'No, I wouldn't, he's got nothing to gain, a lot to lose if he is.'

'Fine I'll sent Auror Savage talk to him anyway, just to know what he thinks of you. But I'll take him off the list. Next, Philippe Moreau ?'

'He is a french Potions master. Works sometimes in association with some british masters, thinks the cooperation can be everything, though he never proposed me to work with him. I believe he decided to work out a cure for the Submersam Vermis but I don't think he really cares about it because it hasn't touched France yet, and it wouldn't have brought him a lot, because if he finds the cure, most of the potions masters he usually works with here will be bitter that he worked on it alone and got the recognition for something that, and I quote another master, "isn't of his resort".'

'Okay, so you don't think he would want you out of the picture for him to have everything that comes with the discovery of a cure ?' Potter asked me.

'Yes, he never wanted to have anything to do with me, never considered me an allie, but never a foe altogether.'

'Fine, another one out of the way.' he said sending the parchment with the informations about Moreau on top of where not a minute earlier he had put down the one with Lewis' on his right.

'You trust my judgement' I asked quite bewildered.

'No, we'll examine their profil and see if we can find anything, but that will tell us if we have someone we need to be more careful about. Most of the time the answer is the most obvious. Uhm... William McKinton ?'

'He's established in Hogsmeade. He's almost estranged from the events of the world of potions mastering, just opens his shop everyday, sells his merchandises and is quite happy doing that. He doesn't need to do great public things, you know. He has his loyal customers and doesn't need more to make his business work. He never said anything against me, never a bad word.'

'So he doesn't have anything to be mad at you for ?'

'I don't think so, I just met him once or twice at some potions masters gathering, nothing important.'

'Alright. Jackson Tucker ?' I winced a that name. This guy really wasn't a fan of mine.

'Well, this one has always been holding a grudge against me...' At that Potter looked up from the parchment and stared at me with a look clearly saying "go on". 'John Lewis chose me over him as a trainee and he never quite got over being spurned because they chose a Death Eater. Especially from an esteemed potions master's training. Everyone knows John's the best and chooses to train the ones with the most potential.'

'You were never one to use modesty when unnecessary...' Potter chuckled while putting the piece of parchment on his left.'

'I... I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that it was a blow to his barely born career, to be considered to have less potential than me... I actually think that Lewis took me because he owed Snape and pitied me a little...' I added bitterly.

'Well, if that didn't happen you wouldn't have the career you have now, right ?'

'Yes, and I'm grateful for that, don't get me wrong. It's just... It was hard time for me. Just like everyone, but... trying to rebuild you a life when everyone just wants to break you down...'

'Uhm... Yeah, I...' the dark-haired man stammered.

'Don't, you don't have to say anything. I guess it was worst for you anyway... And, well I was the one who got myself into this, right ?'

'Sure... Let's just continue this. Mickeal Pierce ?'

'He doesn't like me either. We disagreed on the effect of a potion he created. I thought the association of the ingredients needed for it was harmul for humans and managed to prove him wrong, it wasn't a good time for his careed too...'

'Alright. Rudolf Herrman ?'

'Oh, the german one, yeah, doesn't really like me either, though it's because my father apparently messed up with his family and they lost most of what they had.'

'Okay.' Potter answered. 'Has anything other than that happened since ?'

'Of course, the guy swore to have his revenge on my family, so he's always trying to descredit me but also always fails to do so.'

Potter put Herrman's sheet on the left and moved onto the next. It lasted for almost three hours, a time during which you would have never believed the two of us were enemies at school and lived to always entertain the school with our fights. We remained polite and almost friendly to the other and when I left, I was still quite confused about the reasons why Potter acted this way around me. Not that I complained about it, but it wasn't expected and could be a catch to bring me down. Or maybe he was just doing his job the way he always does and didn't give a shit about me.

Though this would be contradicting the fact that Potter chose to take the case when he could have just ignored it and ask for a report once in a while. Well, I didn't know what was going on with Potter, but what I knew was that I wanted to find out who tried to get me in Azkaban and I had no doubt that he was my best shot at it.

* * *

AN : I'm not really sure what I wanna do with Harry and Malfoy in this story... So what do you think ?

Hope you enjoyed, though there isn't a lot happening, and please, review !


	13. Albus and Scorpius

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter 13 : Albus and Scorpius

_**Former Death-Eater Draco Malfoy once again brought to the Ministry for questioning**_

_As you now all know, Lucius Malfoy, loyal follower of Voldemort during both Wizarding Wars, is still imprisoned in Azkaban for all the horrible and hateful crimes he committed until twenty-one years ago, after the defeat of his leader at the hand of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. However, his only son, Draco Malfoy, also a former Death-Eater, cleared of all charges after the intervention of the Savior himself, innocented and let free, might soon join him in the infamous prison. The man was arrested and questioned at the Ministry about two weeks ago. It seems as though the Aurors didn't get all the answers they wanted, for the now, if not liked, respected potions master was brought to the Ministry once again. _

_The Aurors amiably informed us artifacts of dark nature had been found at Mr Malfoy's shop after an anonymous owl let their Office know of strange and not quite nice things were seen happening there. What are those objects that were found in the former Death-Eater's shop who until now had never seemed to get in any trouble since the war ? What did he do ? Was he trying to once again bring the Dark Lord back to life ? Does he want to lead the Pure-Bloods to control the wizarding society ? Is he really as innocent as the now Head Auror claimed he was during his trial the month following the end of the terror that had ruled our world for two years ? _

_Most importantly, was he alone when he made those experience to revive the darkest wizard of all time or does he have accomplices who would continue his work even if the Ministry manages to finally get him in Azkaban ?_

_Does all this mean we should once again prepare ourselves for the worst ?_

Albus Potter stared at the front page of the Daily Prophet. That couldn't be true ? He couldn't believe what the paper stated. Well, it wouldn't be the first time that their journalist wrote crap, really. He remembered a story his mother told him once about a time when they made an article about how his father was heart-broken because Aunt Hermione broke up with him to date Victor Krum, the Quidditch player ! That was ridiculous, really ? And the Prophet didn't actually get better since then.

He looked up and glanced around the Great Hall. And evidently, the person he was trying to see wasn't difficult to find for almost every single student was staring at him. Scorpius Malfoy was staring at his plate, red in the face, looking ashamed. Albus was sorry for him. The others would probably start once again to bully him, as they did when he first went to Hogwarts. The Great hall was totally silent after a time, which had been the time needed for everyone to read the article. No one spoke, no one moved or even seemed to breathe. They were all staring at the Malfoy boy.

"I knew it, Malfoy, you and your family are just fucking Death-Eaters !" suddenly yelled angrily a voice so familiar to Al. James Potter was standing at the Gryffindor table and pointing an accusing finger at the pale blond boy who didn't even dared move his eyes from the toasts and bacon in his plate. Al didn't know what to do. He didn't want to get in a stupid argument with his brother but...

Well, you see, Scorpius Malfoy was probably his best friend though their friendship was a total secret to anyone but the two of them. Albus just knew that his family wouldn't accept it and make everything so they would never ever even talk again. And Scorpius didn't want to go through all the attention it would get him, surely everyone would think the he cursed or hexed the Potter boy to like him, or gave him a potion made by his father to improve the general opinion about the Malfoy family. Nothing good could come out of people knowing about them. But Albus couldn't stand to stay here his mouth shut when his brother was talking that way to his best friend when he knew that Scorpius was the kindest person in the whole school and probably the whole world. He was one of the people Albus loved the most with his father and god-brother.

"You know the Daily Prophet almost never tell the truth James." he said, trying to sound indifferent to what was happening.

"So what ? You're saying you don't believe the Malfoys are Death-eater scum ? That he is not a fucking adept of dark arts ?"

"I won't until the Aurors have proofs and the Wizengamot says they are guilty. But, saying they are dark wizards only because of what the stupid Daily Prophet says is stupid, James. Because, you should also believe that Dad and Aunt Hermione dated ! And that I am the exact replicas of Dad, which you can't stop saying over and over again that I'm not !" he answered calmly, ending with a smirk. "Besides, it would also mean that you believe the idiots that work at the Daily Prophet over Dad. Do you think Dad would have defended Draco Malfoy if he didn't believe he was as innocent as he could be and wouldn't do anything to harm people ?"

Everything besides the third-year Gryffindor was still silent. Everyone was now looking between the two Potter brothers, waiting the older one's response to that. James Potter stared dumbly at his younger brother. He wasn't the kind to always think before speaking and he couldn't believe he said something that made him sound like he didn't think his father was the greatest man on this Earth ! And that it was his stupid brother who corrected him ! Why would Albus do that to him ? And why wouldn't the filthy Malfoy react, anyway ? Why did he never defend himself against James when the latter attacked him with hexes or words ?

"Of course I believe Dad, Albus ! But things change in more than twenty years !" he said sounding proud of himself for having thought of something to reply.

"Yeah, that's why there was inspections at Mister Malfoy's shop every year, never planned, always at any time, to make sure he wasn't a criminal."

"How do you know that ?" the eldest Potter child asked his green-eyed brother suspiciously.

"Teddy was on the last one, about a little more than a month ago. So, do you think Teddy would have missed anything ?"

"We never know, Albus, being a criminal doesn't mean being stupid and imprudent. Malfoy has probably everything incriminating well hidden somewhere he thinks no one will ever find ! And why are you defending them anyway ?"

Albus panicked for a second, not knowing what to say. How could he justify all that by merely stated it was because he trusted his father's opinion from twenty years ago, when he was barely an adult ?

"Dad said he never wanted what happened to his godfather to ever happened again. And that's exactly how you're treating Malfoy right now ! Do you think your namesake and Dad would be proud of you right now ? How can you be named after Sirius Black and do to other people we know nothing about what everyone did to him ?"

"It's not the same ! His father has the Dark Mark on his arm ! What about that, huh Albus ?"

"Yes, and yet, Dad said he was innocent, James."

Albus was getting really angry at his brother. Why couldn't he just drop it ? Why did he always have to try to get Scorpius to "show his true self" as he would say, when Scorp was really an amazing person that wouldn't hurt anyone ? Couldn't James understand that all that was because of Lucius Malfoy, his grandfather who made choices against the will of his wife and son that even now are still having consequences on the life of a grandson who never knew him and didn't want anything to do with him ?

"You'll see, Al. One day, we'll find out the truth and everyone will know the monsters the Malfoys are !"

And with that said, James Potter left the Great Hall furiously, his friends following him. Everyone around was now staring at Albus, looking as if he was growing another head and set of arms. The third-year boy looked at his watch and decided to leave the Great Hall and wait for his first class of the day to begin, avoiding the prying eyes waiting for him to do anything else that could prove that he'd gone mad.

He looked back to where Scorpius sat at the Slytherin table and confusion took over him : Scorpius wasn't there anymore.

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy was not the kind to wait for the last possible moment to wake up and get up. When he arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, the huge room was almost empty besides from four teachers and a handful of students sitting at the houses tables. It was a good thing, really. When he first came to Hogwarts, the hatred for his family name was made clear to him : people would glare at him for no reason, whisper any time he entered a room, speak loudly about his family's action of the war, show their indignation that his parents decided to send him here after everything. James Potter was definitely trying to get a rise out of him, to make him mad and probably attack other students with dark curses that his father had to have taught him.

Because no one could believe that this light blond haired, grey eyed, eleven years old boy could be a kind and nice kid, calm and friendly just waiting to make the best out of what most people consider some of the best years of their life. How could he not be a Pureblood supremacist, wanting to spit his disgust on every Muggleborn who would dare look at him ?

The thing is, he never was like that. And he never saw his parents being this way either. Oh, he wasn't naive, he knew his father's family and his father himself did in the past. Should that mean that he can't be any different from his grandfather ? That his father actually meant all he did ? Even as a child, he could see the regret in his father's eyes each time something related to the War was mentioned in the papers, or in a discussion when Draco thought no one would see him. But his son knew. And it saddened him to know that his father wasn't leading a life as great as it could have be.

Right after the war, people spitted at him when they came across him in the street, refused to let him in their shops, tried to get the Ministry to send him to Azkaban. But after some time, after the wizarding world mended its wounds and the wizards and witches grieving began to move on with their life, no one really cared about him anymore, they mostly ignored him.

That's exactly what happened to Scorpius at Hogwarts. At the start of his second year, no one paid attention to the shy and calm Slytherin anymore, James Potter excepted. But the Gryffindor's antics were mostly ignored, for Scorpius never replied. He was more of a shadow than anything in the castle. He didn't talk to anyone, didn't make eye contact, either. He just worked and shut up. And he never expected anything to change, but somehow it did.

It was a few days before Halloween, during his second year. James Potter had tried once again to get him to "show his true face" and though Scorpius never said anything and never complained, this time, it had really been a low blow. But what happened that day isn't what mattered most. It's the fact that Scorpius stood up for himself and showed his slytherin side to everyone. Not his "true side" as the eldest Potter kid says, but the part of him that everyone thought wasn't in him even though he was in the snakes' house.

That day, he earned his house's people's respect. He also got a few people to talk to him. Got friends. All he never thought he'd have when he realized he would be outcasted the first week at school.

That day, he also earned a detention, but it actually made the others have even more respect for him. Not because a slytherin getting a detention is a good thing, a respectable thing? But because he managed to get less than most would have had.

But what Scorpius was the most proud of was the fact that he managed to make his father believe that everything was alright for him at Hogwarts when it was anything but. It's not that he liked to lie to his father, but he never wanted him to worry about him and how other kids treated him. Scorpius knew about his father's life and what he did, and what people in the wizarding world thought of him? However, he never really cared. And he didn't want his father, a man that he loved, to blame himself for the stupidity of people he didn't care about one bit. Therefore, the day he managed to get some friends, he was over the moon because he got himself what his father had always wanted him to have.

But friends wasn't something he craved for. He was a solitary kid, mostly. He loved being by himself, and though his mother always said to him that it wasn't sane, he couldn't care less about it. It was how he was, and nothing would change him Therefore, the Great Hall being mostly empty was a good thing. His friends were always asking his opinion about this and that, matters that, well, didn't matter to him. There were always students from the others houses that were watching him, gossiping about him.

The only person he liked at this school, and really cared about was ironically his bully's brother, Albus Potter. The guy somehow saw how much what James Potter said That day hurt Scorpius, despite how much he tried to hide it and how quick he was to recover from the shock. The youngest Potter boy didn't say anything to stop the argument between the two other boys. He didn't even say anything right after? It was only a few days later that he came to the blond boy. And that day, Scorpius knew he found someone he would never let go. The green-eyed kid wasn't pitying him, he wasn't mocking him, ha wasn't anything but honest when he said that Scorpius didn't deserve to be treated the way James did. It was neither because it was clear to him that it was hurting Scorpius nor because it wasn't noble enough from a griffindor, but because what happened between their fathers was between their fathers and that it shouldn't have any consequences on any of their sons.

Well, his saying that his brother was kind of an idiot didn't hurt either. It only made Scorpius like him even more. That he was able to be objective about his family and not always saying good things about them, even though it meant saying a lie was something Scorpius appreciated a lot.

Anyway, after the first few weeks of their friendship spend in an awkward mood, they became closer and closer and were now best friend (though you might say it's not saying much for Scorpius as Albus was his only true friend...). The thing was that no one knew about it. They didn't care about what other people might say, however always having people staring at you and whispering a few meters away from you wasn't something they wanted to go through. Moreover, though they realized that the past was the past, they were also aware that it was not for everyone and just as James wanted to have the same relationship his father had with Scorpius's, most of the wizarding community expected the Potters and Malfoy kids to hate each other. Which means that if word of Al and Scorpius's friendship were to get out, it would be a frenzy. And the boys being at Hogwarts, their parents would be the ones stalked by reporters to answer questions.

So looking as friendless as when he first entered the school, Scorpius went to breakfast. The Great Hall being mostly empty from student was a relief to him as the whispers about his family had started once again after the articles about his father's arrest, though his father kind of reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. And yet, or maybe, because of that, he felt more worried than ever about his father. What if all the things people say about his father were true ? What if his father meant that there was nothing to worry about because he father was really dealing with Dark Arts but made sure no one would ever find out ? Those thought never really left his mind since the first daily prophet that came in the school reporting what he calls the Incident.

Albus had tried to make him feel better and see that what was said couldn't be true. They even almost argued over it, Scorpius feeling angry at his father for making him go through this without any explanations and just needed to take it all out on somebody, Albus being the closest. But his black-haired friend managed to calm him, telling that his own father had never thought that Scorpius' father was doing anything wrong since the war and even he had defended him. If Harry Potter believed something, then it must be true, right ? Well, at least about the innocence of someone. And anyway, no one could just practice the dark arts and never get caught or having anyone suspicious for twenty years. Well, Albus said. Still, the blond-haired teenager was still worried.

That morning, he was still tired from having trouble getting to sleep the previous night and though people did talk to him, he wasn't in the mood to talk back to them. So when some of his fellow slytherin sat at their table next to him he didn't acknowledge them at all. Maybe not the best move, considering what came in twenty minutes later.

As usual, everything was as quiet as possible in the huge room, the whole castle's inhabitant gathered in it, and then suddenly the sound of wings flapping and owls hooting took over the Great hall bringing the mail the birds were due to deliver to the students and teachers. Oh, and the Daily Prophets to those who wanted it...

A brown average owl came to stand in front of Scorpius' plate, dropping the newspaper upon his toasts. Scorpius took a knut from his pocket, gave it to the owl and took the paper.

He hadn't even unfold it entirely when he froze, staring at the top of the front page.

_**Former Death Eater Draco Malfoy once again brought at the Ministry for questioning**_

The young boy couldn't move, he was once again overwhelmed by his worry for his father.

Could it be really true ? Of course not, the Daily Prophet wasn't the place to go looking for the truth. But could the article hold some truth in all this tale ? Was it just exaggerating something that really happened ? No matter what this article said, Scorpius was scared. He didn't really want to read something badmouthing his father, the only one, beside Albus, that he really cared about.

Besides, whatever the newspaper said about his father couldn't be good considering the way people stared at him...

"I knew it, Malfoy, you and your family are just fucking Death-Eaters !"

James Potter was looking smug and furious at the same time. He was probably jubilating to have new amos to use in this stupid one sided "war" he was fighting against the blond boy. At least that's what said blond boy thought. Well, it was kinda true. He was more enjoying the fact that surely no one would say anything to defend the slytherin.

Scorpius didn't know what to do. He just sat there, redder than he'd ever been at the school, clearly embarrassed at being the center of the attention like that. It had never been this bad. The whole Great Hall was staring at him, every student with pity, or a glare on their faces. The teachers were waiting to see what would happen next to take a decision about what to do. And James Potter was staring at him, the eyes full of hatred.

"You know the Daily Prophet almost never tell the truth James."

Again every pair of eyes was turned to the same person, but Scorpius didn't know whether he should be relieved that it wasn't him anymore. Albus Potter spoke up to his older brother to defend his father's arch-nemesis son... If that didn't reach the ears of one Rita Skeeter or her accomplice... Nevertheless, even if it didn't everyone would be later talking about it, because they will be so sure that there will be much more than what Al was about to reveal. Unless he would say everything about their friendship and then the grey-eyed boy knew he would be doomed. So he did the only thing he thought of at the moment : he stood up quietly, while everyone else was busy paying attention to the Potter brothers and left the Great Hall.

* * *

'Scorpius !'

Al left the Great Hall as soon as he found out his friend had gone during his argument with James. As he crossed the huge room, he could only think of one place Scorpius could have gone. And right, he was. The blond teenage boy was scurrying towards their secret place on the grounds, near the entrance of the Forbidden Forrest. It was hidden by giant bushes but still flooded with light somehow. No one ever went there, at least no one ever came while there were already there.

Albus was running after him, looking around every now and then making sure no one was going outside of the castle too. He was aware his secret friend wouldn't appreciate not to be so secret anymore.

When he reached their place, the other boy was already sat down, his back against the trunk of a big tree, his knees against his chest, his elbows on his knees, head in his hands.

'Scorpius' Albus repeated. 'Are you okay ?' he said worried.

'I'm fine, just... Go away, Albus.' he said, his voice stiff.

'I... Did you read the article ?' the black-haired boy asked gently, not knowing what to say, but unwilling to leave.

'Albus...' Scorpius moaned, his face still in his hands. 'Just leave, please, you don't have to be here or to do this or anything ! You don't have to keep talking to me, or pretending to be my friend or... Whatever ! I can manage on my own !'

He had looked up at Albus during his outburst and was now glaring at him. Albus felt hurt but still wasn't about to leave.

'You know you don't mean it, right ? And you can guess that's not what's gonna make me go away ?' he said with a small smile, trying to cheer the other boy up. 'Did you actually read the article ?'

Scorpius sighed and looked away, the eyes not quite seeing what they were staring at.

'No, I didn't. But I guessed what it said from everyone else, thank you very much !' he almost screamed, annoyed.

'Well, it wasn't as bad as you think, you know...' Albus stated not quite disturbed by his friend's anger.

'Oh, really ? Just the title gives everything for anyone to bring the past to conversation again and people will start to look at me the way they did at first again. And I don't care, really, but what they say about my father ? That hurts.'

Albus didn't say anything, he just stayed standing there, in front of him, quiet and still. After a few minutes without any word from both teenage wizards, Albus spoke again.

'You know I'm here for you, right ?'

'Of course, I know, Al.' Scorpius whispered, the hint of a smile on his pale pink lips. 'I... You're my only friend, Albus, the only one that matters, you know.'

Albus chuckled and unsurprisingly that earned him a not so mean glare.

'I care about you, Scorpius. A lot. And well, you're not my only friend, because, I am sociable unlike you, but you're my best friend, the one that matters the most.'

He sat down next to the blond wizard.

'I'd like people to know about it, our friendship.' he said. 'Not to shock them, not to laugh at their stupid face when they find out. But I like to think that maybe, if they knew, they would finally see the Scorpius Malfoy I see : the most amazing guy, who cares a lot about his friends, well, friend, and his family. Who's gentle and funny and kind. But still determined and tough.'

Scorpius snorted.

'Tough ? Look at me, Al ! Do I look tough right now ?' he said humorlessly.

'Well, everyone has their moments... Anyway, I wish for them to see you the way I do, because I know that this is the true you. And I often almost talked about it. Not to anyone here, at Hogwarts, but at home. Like when Uncle Ron asks Rose whether she was the best student of the year and that she complains you're better at almost every class. Uncle Ron says that you probably cheat and that you're just some pure-blood supremacist scum...'

Scorpius turned away at that, clearly hurt, even though he claims not to be affected by what people say of him.

'I wanna yell at him that it's all bullshit, that you are better than his perfect daughter, that you don't cheat and I'm sure of it because you help me work. I actually find it funny that no one tried to find out why my grades suddenly got better...'

Scorpius let out a laugh and Albus glared playfully at him.

'You grades really needed improvement...' the blond boy said, his voice still not quite normal.

'Hey ! It wasn't that bad !' Albus exclaimed.

'Huh, it kinda was, really, I mean, P and D aren't what you can call good marks...'

'Yeah, anyway... Dad always says to uncle Ron that he shouldn't talk about you and your family like that. He defended your dad and all. I've always wanted to tell him that you're my friend and that he's right and that you're great, but...'

'You promised me.' Scorpius finished for the other boy.'

'Yeah...'

'You can tell your dad, if it's really important for you.'

Albus grinned at his friends words. Scorpius was always doing things that were for others, even though others only meant Albus and Mr Malfoy as no one else had cared to get to know the boy. But when it came to people he loved, Scorpius was most of the time selfless.

'It's okay, Scorpius. You don't have to.' Al said softly.

'I'd like people to know too, you know ? Because then, we wouldn't have to make sure no one sees us together and all. And I want to tell my father too, but I dread what people could say about that. I know that wouldn't be good, they wouldn't be nice... I don't wanna go through this, Al, but... Your father won't, right ? And he(ll keep it to himself if you ask him, so... You can tell him.'

Albus stared at his friend, not knowing what to say.

'Okay... I might tell him during Christmas break. Do you think you'll be okay today ? You can put up with everyone and what they might say ?'

Scorpius barely nodded, deeming to hold his breath and mentally bracing himself for what he might -will- have to go through the day.

'I'll manage. It's just... I wish my father would tell me clearly what's going on, you know. Not meaningless, "don't worry, everything fine" or "you have nothing to worry about". Saying that doesn't help me know if my father I innocent or not and the fact that he doesn't clearly state it in his letter scares me.'

Scorpius looked completely lost, his look haunted by the fear of what might be happening and what might happen to his family.

'I'm sure it's nothing, Scorpius' Albus tried to reassure him. 'He probably can't really speak about it. My father always says that to mum. You know, when aurors are still investigating, they can't talk about a case, well, maybe it's the same for your father !' he said, trying to sound cheerful, feeling helpless as he looked at Scorpius who was still just sitting there, looking

Albus held back a resigned sigh. He looked at his watch.

'We should go back inside, it's almost time to get to class. You shouldn't be late...'

* * *

AN : It's been a long time, but it's here... Hope you liked it !


	14. A New Clue

I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 14 : A new clue

Harry Potter and Teddy Lupin had spent the entire day going through the files of the potions masters and other people Draco Malfoy had indicated might have reasons to frame him. Actually, they had spend the whole week working on that list, making floo calls, asking questions and sending convocation to the Ministry to the ones the two aurors thought might be behing the whole case.

But even with that, they felt like they hadn't progressed one bit. They had gone, on the day it was closed, to Malfoy's shop to try to isolate a magical signature that shouldn't be there, but nothing was found, just the blond man's, his assistants's and his wife's and the signatures of the aurors who did the inspections. Nothing unusual. Unless some Auror decided to take their job further than they should have had and did it, though Harry highly doubted it.

'You should go home, Harry.' Teddy said out of the blue.

'It's okay, I usually stay here late, anyway, so it's fine.' he said not even looking up from the parchment he was reading.

'The kids are coming home tomorrow, you should get some rest and be all fresh and alive to go fetch them.' the younger man said as he stood up to get some tea in the kitchen of the Auror Department.

'It's fine, Teddy, I'm used not to have much sleep, like I said I almost always stay here late.' he said sounding a little annoyed.

'Maybe that's the reason why Ginny is always angry at you...'

Teddy knew he shouldn't have said that even before the words left his mouth. It sure stopped the Head-Auror's reading. He looked up at his godson with exhaustion writen all over his face. He sighed as he took the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index.

'There's more than that, Teddy. And please, don't worry about it. It's not for you to be concerned.' he said firmly but softly.

'Harry, I... It's just... I worry about you more than your couple you know. I know it's hard with Ginny, that it's been for years, I'm not blind. I knew it even before I moved in after Al got into Hogwarts and living with you just confirmed what I suspected. And -'

'I'm fine -'

'You're not ! Harry, just look at yourself in a mirror right now, and you'll see you're not ! You look like an inferius, mate. And it's not just right now, it's all the time...'

'Teddy, I -'

'Why do you stay with her ?'

Harry stopped mid-sentence, surprised by the question, but resigned, knowing the junior auror wouldn't let it go.

'I... It's complicated...'

'No, it's not.' Teddy said, shortly. 'Look, I love Gin, Harry, she's family too, but... You're the most important person I have, the one who, with Gran Andy took care of me and raised me. And I can't stand to watch you fall apart that way because of her-'

'It's not because of her-' Harry tried to cut him.

'Is it ?'

'It's not... It's just... the both of us, really, we just want different things, that's all.'

Teddy stared at Harry in the eyes, trying to figure out whether or not the older man was telling him the truth.

'And what is it ? And do you want and what does she want ?'

Harry sighed rubbing his forehead. He really didn't want to talk about it right now. Yes, his couple was completely falling apart and he knew there was nothing he could do to fix this. Ginny didn't want to listen to him anymore, no matter what he had to say. She didn't understand him, not as much as he thought once she did. And it hurt him, to realize that. To know that his wife didn't really know the man he was and didn't share the same desires for their life together. He just wanted a normal life, well, as normal as possible after everything that happened during his childhood since he entered the wizarding world. She wanted to do something big and have everyone talking about how great they were and what an amazing couple they formed. She wanted people to look up to her and admire her. She wanted Harry in the spotlight once again.

Harry felt like she had considered their marriage a bargain. Something like _Yes, Harry I marry you, I give you kids and when they are grown enough, we go and play the Golden couple and parade at every gala, every formal event as if everything is owed to us, because you're the Saviour._ He couldn't believe that maybe his fame was all the woman he loved – used to love-, the mother of his children might have cared about. He had thought that she was the one for him, because at the time the only who knew him and never fawned over him because of his scar and past. But he realised now that maybe it wasn't it at all and that she just spent so much time in his company at the burrow that she just manage to control herself around him.

'I don't think she ever loved you. Not really. More like the idea of you.'

Harry snorted at that. His godson had just said out loud what he had refused to believe for years. Teddy was still standing in front of the desk, not quite willing to lower himslef at his godfather's level. He felt like if he moved, Harry would just withdraw within himself and stop talking.

'I know what it is to get the Harry Potter family's treatment. I am barely your godson and even some of the oldest and most experienced aurors don't dare say anything bad to me, even when I deserve it because they fear I might run to you and get them sacked or whatever. I know what you can get from being close to you. So being your wife ?'

'I know, Teddy, but that's not what I want. And if I have to yell at the aurors for being too nice to you, I will, have no fear.' he said trying to smile playfully.

Teddy sighed, and shook his head.

'Harry, I heard Aunt Hermione and Granny Molly talk about the two of you when you were younger. I heard that Ginny had a crush on you even before she met you. Well, not a crush on _you_, but on the idea of you, the Boy-Who-Lived. Granny then said how great it was that that crush became love for who you truly were, but...'

'But ?' Harry asked, quite ready to end that conversation as soon as possible.

'I entered the kitchen at that moment and I saw the look on Hermione's face. I don't think she believes that the crush turned into love.' Teddy answered, almost whispering. 'Look, I'm sorry, I should have never brought all of that up, it's just...'

Harry smiled sadly, looking down again.

'It's okay, just what do you want to know ?'

The metamorphmagus shifted on his feet, quite uncomfortable.

'Why do you stay together, when it's clear that both of you are unhappy ?' he said as he finally sat down in his chair again.

'Like I said' Harry started, 'It's complicated. It's not only about Ginny and I, it's also about the kids and everyone. They are a reason to stay together and keep the family intact'

'No, Harry, that's not a reason, that's an excuse. Is that what you want to teach them. That's it's better to be unhappy to please other people ? To keep a no longer working marriage that is eating you alive, rather than try to be happy again, because that's what's expected from you ?'

Harry glared at the other man, feeling angry but mostly at himslef for being said by a barely twenty year-old guy what he couldn't accept.

He was about to answer when someone knocked on the door. Harry sighed, not wanting to see another person who needed him for some "important matter that need to be attended to ASAP". But his job required it, so all he did was glancing at his godson before praying the person to enter.

He was quite surprised to see Malfoy enter his office at this hour when he hadn't told him he might need to see him soon.

'Hello.' Malfoy said awkwardly. He moved forward the desk, where the young auror was still sitting.

'Hello, Mr Malfoy.' Teddy replied. 'Is there anything wrong ?'

Malfoy came to the desk and put an piece of paper on it. Harry stared at it, wondering what it could be, though there was no doubt it was related to the case.

'I received this by owl today. It was actually with all the usual post concerning the shop.'

The Head-Auror started to take the parchment then stop his hand in mid-air.

'I put a charm on it so it wouldn't be tampered by anyone who touches it when I saw what it was. I didn't even touch it myself.' Malfoy said softly looking down, not sure if what he did was a good thing. Or if it would make he appear guilty of something maybe.

'Well, that's a good thing. Even if some may think that you did this only to make it look like you really are a victim here. You know, that you made it all up to get out of a "tricky situation".'

'I guess.' the blond man sighed.

'I'm sure this will help us find who is behind all this, Mister Malfoy.' Teddy said quietly.

Harry stared at the piece of parchment he was now holding in his hands. He was frowning at it.

'What is it ?' he asked Malfoy.

'It's an order receipt. It's from a society I don't usually work with them, they don't have a great reputation. I mean, they're more in the ingredients that aren't exactly legal... and really expensive. This kind of receipts are sent to you when the society got your order and are working on it. It's to confirm that your owl got there and that you're gonna have what you asked for a few weeks later. It's to make sure your owl arrived safely to destination and that you're not gonna wait for nothing.'

'Alright.' Harry said still a little confused. 'I guess the ingredients on the list are those you mentionned, the ones not exactely legal ?'

'Yes. They are. But the thing is : I never ordered those. As I said, I don't trade with that society, their reputation is precisely the kind I don't want my name associated with.'

'So either this is a mistake _' The green-eyed man concluded_'

'Which is quite hard to believe.' Teddy cut him out.

Harry nodded looking up to his godson.

'Or this is to lead us on you once again.'

'The order was with others, you said ?' the young auror asked the blond man.

'Yes, in the middle of it all.' he said sitting down on the closest chair.

'So, you might have not seen it, or just overlooked it ?'

'No, I pay attention to every mail I get at the shop. That's the kind of thing I want to avoid. The letters sent by people who hate me and accuse me of crime I didn't commit or anything like that.' he said rubbing his forehead the same way Harry did earlier.

'Do you often get that kind of mail ?' the older auror asked.

'Not as much as before, of course. But when some news about a Death Eater comes out, or around the anniversary of the Final Battle, I get more than other times of the year. It's not really unusual. I don't really pay that much attention to it, I'm used to it and I can take it. But I thought that this could be related to the case_. _I mean, the mail I get are letters from people insulting me and taking their anger out on me, not a paper that will incriminate me as soon as aurors or anyone from the Ministry get a hold on it.'

Harry put the parchment down on his desk and leaned back on his chair. His eyes narrowed with his thoughts. He was sure this was related to the case, it would be too much of a coincidence not to be. Besides, this is not some way to express anger. It clearly states a desire to see Malfoy in a cell in the middle of the ocean.

'What do you think, Harry ?' Lupin asked.

'We'll get it examined, see if we can find some magical signature on it. But I don't think there's anything we can get from this. It just proves that someone's after you, Malfoy.'

'I understand. I just... I just hope you will be able to figure this all out soon. I'm kind of tired of trying to reassure my son without being able to tell him anything...' He said, standing up. 'Thank you, anyway.'

'We're doing everything we can and if we don't find anything soon, we'll make a public statement about what's happening.' Harry said. 'I understand that we can't really continue that way, not telling the truth without huge consequences on your life. That's not what we want.'

'Yeah, well, it's not like people are gonna change their mind about me anyway... I just want my son out of this. It's not fair for him to bear the consequences of my mistakes.' he said sighing.

Teddy stared at him. He knew what the man had done during the war, of course. Though he never talked about it before with anyone, he knew he was related to him and had made some research. Obviously he had been disappointed to see that the only relative he had that was alive was someone who fought for the Death-Eaters. But now, he realised each time he met him that he wasn't what he thought.

'This will be over soon. I'll only work on this case if I have to.'


	15. Telling the truth

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 15 : Telling the truth

As Harry had planned, the tests on the mail didn't bring any information that could be useful to identify the person who made the command pretending to be Malfoy. The Head Auror was getting nervous about this case, because, would they not find the culprit, Malfoy would be the one to bear the consequences of all this and could lose a lot. And though he didn't like the guy very much, Harry still didn't want him to be another Sirius, in Azkaban though innocent.

And as Teddy had said he would, he now only work on finding anything that could help them progress to finding the truth. But he felt like no matter what he did, he was nowhere near closer to it.

Today he had decided that he would question once again Malfoy's employees at the shop. They had only been interrogated when the aurors still thought that Malfoy might have been guilty, so the questions couldn't have been the right ones.

He was walking down Diagon Alley, toward the shop and still wondering why someone would go to that length to get Malfoy accused and thrown to jail. Yes the guy had been a Death Eater, but he and his mother were partly responsible for the Light's victory. Sure, that didn't make what they had done before okay, but it was still a proof that they didn't really believed in what they were "fighting" for and were in a way forced to do it.. And lots of other Death Eaters had done far worse.

He entered the shop and directly went to the counter where Sarah Grey was standing.

'Hi, Auror Lupin, how can I help you ?' she said cheerful, a big smile on her lips. Teddy was surprised to see her like that, you'd think she wouldn't be so happy thinking that her boss and mentor might get in Azkaban for dealing with the Dark Arts.

'Uhm, yes actually, are you alone here ?'

She frowned.

'No, Mister Malfoy is in the office and Oreste is in the lab.'

'Alright well, we'll go to the ofiice and ask Mister Malfoy if he can replace you for a moment, I'd like to ask you some questions.'

She cocked her head to the side, still frowning and opening her mouth.

'If this is about Mister Malfoy, I said eveything I know. That it was unlikely he did anything bad and that you were mistaking.'

Teddy nodded and smile gently at her.

'Yes, but there is more that I'd like to ask you about, actually.'

'What ?' she snapped crossing her arms. 'You've got some other "proof" that he's guilty ? Then why don't you just arrest him already ?'

'It's not like that. Please, can we go to the office.'

'Fine.' she replied shortly. And stormed out of the room into the corridor leading to the back of the shop. She knocked on the lounge door and opened it without waiting for an answer and stopped abruptly.

Teddy went to stand behind her and saw what made her stop. Draco Malfoy wasn't alone in the room. A younger copy of him was there too. Scorpius Malfoy was staring at his father, looking mad and ready to break something.

Draco just looked up from his son and stared at the auror without saying anything, Teddy wasn't sure he was actually really looking at him.

'Sorry, sir' Sarah said. 'Auror Lupin would like me to answer some questions. Could you replace me at the counter, sir ?'

'Of course. Scorpius, will you come with me ?' he asked his son, standing up.

'No.' the kid just replied.

'Excuse me ?' Malfoy said dumbfounded.

'I'm not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what's really happening !'

The older blond-haired just stared at his son, sadly. Teddy was feeling kind of guilty. He was the one whot told him it would be better not to tell anyone that he wasn't even really suspected of anything but that they were trying to find who tried to frame him.

'Uhm, Miss Grey ? Could you go back to the front shop for now ?' he asked her and she glared at him.

'Sure, it's not as if you were the one to ask me to come here, right ?!" she said sarcastically. The cheerful mood she displayed when he first came in might have been only a cover for the client.

She left the room and closed the door behind her. Teddy turned to the Malfoys and nodded to the father, letting him know it was okay to tell his son the truth.

'Scorpius, this is Auror Lupin. He is working on my case.'

'The teenager turned to him and just stared and Teddy couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under his analysing gaze.

'Uhm, hi.'

'Will you arrest my dad ?' the child asked, anger and annoyance in the voice.

'No. I won't.' the auror replied, shaking his head.

'Why ?'

'What do you mean why ?'

The mini-Malfoy, as he was just that, humphed.

'Because isn't he supposed to be a dark wizard ? Isn't that what every paper said recently ?'

His father looked embarrassed and plainly sad, back on his chair and his shoulders stooped. He was obviously hurt by his son's words.

'Do you believe everything the papernews say ?' Teddy ask the boy with a small smile.

'No, but it's hard not to have any doubt when their side of the story is the only one you know of.' he said turning a reproachful glare to his father who just looked down at his hands.

'Mister Malfoy, you can tell you son, now. If you'd like. Though, Scorpius, you can't tell anyone. You have to promise you won't tell anyone, not even your mother, actually.'

At that the older man looked up at him but his stare was blank. Scorpius' expression was confused and shocked.

'What do you mean, the truth ? And why can't I tell anyone, or my mother for what it's worth ?'

Teddy sighed and went to sit in the chair next to the boy.

'What your father is about to tell you, if anyone knows, it might mess with our investigation. And believe me, that is not something that you want. But your father wants to tell you the truth, because he doesn't want you to hate him and he wants you to know. And when the time comes, we'll tell everyone. But for now, it has to stay a secret, okay ?'

'Alright, but just tell now.'

Teddy looked at the potion maker and nodded with a smile of encouragement.

'Scorpius ' the older man said. 'I didn't do anything wrong and the aurors know that.'

'What ? But then why didn't they say anything ? Why didn't they told the journalists that you're innocent ? Why -'

'We deciced that it was better to let people believe that they are investigating on me. I didn't do anything, but someone wanted them to believe so... The only reason I wasn't sent to trial as soon as they found what was supposed to incriminate me is because an inspection of the shop had been made barely few weeks before it happened. And Auror Lupin here was there for the first on and knew that there wasn't anything before.'

'How can you be sure my father did nothing ?'

'We interrogated him under Veritaserum.'

Scorpius nodded, letting out a sigh or reilef.

'Albus was right, then.'

'Albus ?' both grown-up men asked at the same time.

Scorpius looked down blushing. He couldn't believe he had let it slip that way, though the immense relief he felt when it was clear that his father was innocent had totally overwhelmed him.

'Yeah, Albus.'

'Albus Potter ?'

'Yeah, Albus Potter. Look, we're friends, we've been for over a year now... We never told anyone because we don't want anyone staring at us and trying to get Al to stop talking to me. His brother, James, he hates me and he wouldn't understand and, really just, no one would. So...'

Teddy chuckled.

'That is so Al !' he stated a fond smile on his face.

'You know him ?' Scorpius asked, disbelieving.

'Yeah, he's my godbrother.

'You're friend with Potter's son ?' Draco suddenly said, souding baffled.

Anger took over Scorpius.

'See, thats exactly what I mean ! You hated his father so I'm supposed to hate him too ? That's just bullshit !'

'Language, young man. And that's not what I meant. I just thought none of them would ever talk to you, that's all.'

'Hey ! Harry didn't thicken their heads with all this prejudice stuff. He actually made clear to them that the past was the past. But I can't say the same about Ginny and Uncle Ron...'

'None of you care ? Really ?' Scorpius said, again surprised.

'I don't, I'm actually glad, Scorpius. I don't care who your friends are as long as they care about you and of course are not aspiring to be criminals and don't bring you into all that.'

Draco smiled at his son, who beamed at his father's approval of his bestfriend.

'No one knows you're friends ?' Lupin asked.

'No, no one, though we spend a lot of time together.'

'And no one suspects anything ?'

'No. We spend most of our time in the Room of Requiement, you know... So there's no way people would see us together. I'm just not ready to have people sneering at me, and telling me that I must have done something to him, otherwise he wouldn't even as much as look at me.'

'Would people really say that ?' Teddy ask gently.

'You don't know what it is. I'm sorry, Dad.' he said glancing at his father, then turned back to the auror. 'You are Harry Potter's godson and your parents were war heroes. I'm the son of a Death Eater, no matter what was said at his trial, that's how others see it.'

'But you have friends, right ?' Draco interrupted, hope on his face.

Scorpius winced and looked sheepish.

'I'm sorry, dad. I don't have any real friends... Only Al. I talk to some Slytherins, but... We're not really close...'

'Scorpius -' Draco started but was interrupted.

'I know I shouldn't have lied to you but I didn't want you to feel guilty about it, because I don't care and...'

'I'm not mad because you lied. I understand... It's just, I'm sorry...' he said he stared wide eyed, looking at his desk and shaking his head.

'Don't. I said I don't want to feel guilty. I'm fine.'

'I can't help it Scorpius. What I did has consequences on you when you're just an innocent boy who wasn't even born when I did all the things that are reproached to me... I...'

'From what I've heard, you didn't put the best effort to the task you were asked to do. And you saved Harry.' Teddy said gently.

Draco looked up at him and stared at him, not sure to sneer at his naivety or to be grateful for trying to make it look better in front of Scorpius.

'It doesn't matter.' he then said. 'What people think is what matter in this society. They can't forgive me... And they can't forget either. I'm still a Death Eater to them, and that's what I'll always be.'

'We can change that. When we find you's after you -'

'People will just send them flowers and fruits baskets.' he laughed humourlessly.

Teddy didn't know what to say anymore. He knew what Malfoy was saying was true. The truth was always considered to be what most people believed in. So as most people think so, Draco Malfoy is a monster who deserves to rot in Azkaban. Well, at least Teddy knew better and he could try to help make people change their mind.

* * *

AN : Thanks for the reviews ! And please, tell me what you thought !


	16. Sarah, Oreste and Astoria

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter 16 : Sarah, Oreste and Astoria

'So, have you seen anything unusual during the three weeks between the two inspections ?' Teddy asked Sarah after both Malfoys went to the front shop.

'I don't know, I don't think so. I mean there are many people who come here each day. It's impossible to remember everything and everyone. What kind of thing precisely ?'

'People asking questions about Mr Malfoy, specific questions about his life, what habits when he works, anything like that, or people you had never seen before who suddenly came often to the shop, or anyone looking around not seeming to know what to buy...'

Sarah shook his head while thinking about it. She couldn't remember anything like this happening.

'No, nothing I can remember of, sorry...'

Teddy smiled at her reassuringly.

'It's okay, don't worry. Has anything disappeared, or things had been moved ?' he asked her.

'Well, actually, you found some _things_ in the files, right ?"

Teddy's brain snapped at that and he looked at her intently, only nodding, as if scared that the sound of his voice might make her stop talking.

'I came back here one night, because I had forgotten my bag, and I was going on a date and I forgot where I had to go and the parchment with the address was in it. And when I got here, I notices that some old files were on the desk, closed. I just thought that it was Mr Malfoy who had checked for something in the bills he keeps for making a new order for ingredients before going home. I didn't think much of it until now.'

Teddy wrote everything down in his notebook.

'Is that all ?'

Sarah looked down at her hands, seeming to hesitate, not sure she should say this or not.

'Some of the ingredients meant to the search of the cure for the Submersam Vermis disappeared. You know, little quantities now and then, never much so it might pass as mistakes in the measurements, but it happened a lot, and I don't think anyone can be that unfocused, especially while working on that.'

Teddy frowned. He didn't know what to think of it. Did it have anything to do with Malfoy being framed ?

'Do you think Mr Malfoy takes some to work in his own at home ?'

'Oh no, Mrs Malfoy would never let him work at home, I know it I heard him complain about it.'

'So why do you think it would disappear that way ?' he asked trying to understand.

She stayed quiet for some time, thoughtful.

'I've got no idea.' she admitted. 'But those ingredients are rare, therefore expensive. I can't even imagine the price they be sold at on the black market.'

'Alright, thank you, for taking the time to answer my questions.' he said standing up from the chair he was sitting in in the lounge.

She stopped him putting a hand on his forearm.

'Can you tell me what's going on ? I mean, you don't seem to think Mr Malfoy did anything wrong. Someone tried to frame him ?'

Teddy sighed and sat back down.

'That's what we think, yes. But you can't tell anyone, it has to stay unknown so the culprit won't know we know and are looking them.' he said sternly, pointedly looking at her to show her how serious this was.

'Okay. I won't say anything, of course, Mr Malfoy doesn't deserve what's happening to him, and I'll do anything to help stop it. If you need anything, well...'

'Thank you.'

* * *

'So you mean to tell me that someone's after Mr Malfoy ?' Oreste said incredulous.

'Yes, unfortunately, that's it.'

Oreste leaned back in his seat, apparently still not believing that something like that could happen.

'Wow... But who would do something like that ? I mean, everyone knows of his past, but he was just a teenage boy at the time, and it made amends and now almost everyone comes to him for his potions. He's a good man, why...'

'That's what we're trying to figure out. Have you noticed anything unusual lately, since the first inspection ?'

'Uhm.' Oreste thought about for a moment, replaying the last weeks in his head. 'No, I don't think so. Do you have any suspect ?'

Teddy stopped writing to look at the man. He looked normal, but something in his voice was off.

'No, not yet.' he said cautiously, watching the other man's reaction closely. 'Has anything disappeared or was moved without you knowing why ?'

'No, nothing weird happened, at least nothing that I can think of.'

'Miss Grey said that some quantities of expensive ingredients used for the search on the cure for the Submersam Vermis had gone missing often. Do you know anything ?'

Oreste eyes opened wide and his cheeks pinked, obviously he was flustered.

'Yeah, I take some, sometimes, to work at home. I'm really working hard on it and I'm quite obsessed by it, actually. I mean, I read about those deaths in the Daily Prophet, and everyday there are more infected people. I need to do something, and I can, so...'

'Does Mr Malfoy knows you're taking his ingredients at home ?'

'No, I didn't know how he would react, so I didn't dare ask his permission... I know it's bad, but, yeah...' he finished lamely.

'Alright. Thank you for your time.'

'I hope you find who's behind all this soon.'

* * *

I was at home that night, we were all eating dinner with Astoria and Scorpius in the kitchen, not wanting to eat in the huge dining room.

'You know, I'm glad that you know about Al, now, because there's so many things that I've wanted to tell you happen, but I couldn't because I had done it with him, and I didn't think you'd understand, and I-'

I laughed and my son took a breath, as he had talked the whole time without doing so. Astoria looked upset, but kept her thoughts to herself, probably annoyed that her son, her proper, pureblood and clever son had become friends with the Boy-Who-Lived's half-blood son.

People glared at him and hated me because I had been a Death Eater during the war, when I was a teenager, and didn't have much choice, though I didn't believe in all the crap his father fought for. If only they could hear her talk sometimes, they would realize that when they pity her for being married to me, they are all wrong. But I'm glad no one knows, because I'm sure that if Astoria's beliefs where known, it would be said to be my fault and again, I'd be the villain of the story.

Besides, I didn't want her to be hated too, I loved and I knew how much she needed to socialize with people, he didn't want her unhappy because people think she's evil because she doesn't like people who don't respect Pureblood traditions.

'And when did you tell your father about your friend, Scorpius ?'

Scorpius, who had been talking about all sorts of things he and Albus Potter had done stopped at once, and flushed.

'At dad's shop.' he said awkwardly.

'I didn't ask you where but when, Scorpius.' she replied, icily.

He turned to look me, clearly not knowing what to say, and scared that he had made a mistake that might be bad for me. I was happy to see that he didn't want me in trouble, even with his mother.

'We were talking about school, and it slipped out of his mouth without even thinking about what he was saying, Astoria. It's not his fault.' I said gently, but firmly, not wanting to make a scene because he told me and not her.

It was true that Scorpius had always been closer to me than to her, but I guess it's only because I was trying to do everything my own father did not. I wanted him to know how much I love him and what he means to me, not make him feel like just an heir to be used once he's old enough to marry a respectable pureblood of his parent's choice and reproduce himself.

She let it go, but it was clear to me that she wasn't done with it. I would probably hear her whining about it later that night.

And how right I was. Scorpius was barely gone to his room that she started complaining about it.

'Did you know before, that he was hanging with that Potter boy ?' she asked angrily.

'No, I didn't, I was baffled when he told me, but I guess it's no surprise he didn't dare tell us considering your reaction.' I said tiredly, rubbing my forehead.

'Oh, you don't do that, Draco. Put the fault on me, as if the fact that our son doesn't want to talk to us is only my fault !' she spat.

I sighed and looked up at her over my coffee.

'You know that's not what I meant. It's just that he – they were scared of this kind of reaction and they were right to be. You're the proof of that, as much as other people would be if they knew about their friendship.'

'Don't say that matter of factly when it's your fault !' she hissed.

Anger took over me, and I glared at her.

'My fault ? Really, are you having second thoughts on me and our marriage twenty-years after we got together ?' I snapped. 'How can you say that to me, when you know I hadn't meant for all this crap to happen ! I never wanted to be a Death Eater, and I didn't care about being a pureblood, but I strutted around the school, claiming it out loud, and hating on Muggleborns, so my father wouldn't tell me I wasn't good enough to be a Malfoy.'

'Yeah, your dear father's approbation was all you've ever cared about ! As if that was all that mattered in life !'

'It's easy for you to say when your father always looked proudly at you and loved you.' I hissed at her viciously. 'But trust me I never wanted this !' I said lifting up my sleeve, showing her my Dark Mark.

She winced when she saw it and looked away quickly.

'People are talking, Draco.' she said quietly, tears in her eyes.

'I know, and I'm sorry, Astoria. I really am.'

She sighed softly and shook her head, dejected.

'That's not enough anymore.' she said getting up and leaving the kitchen.

I stayed there for a long time, trading my coffee for Firewhiskey. I knew that hearing what some people said could be weighty and hard to live with, but she had never taken it all out on me like that before. And she had never openly said I was responsible for her being sad or upset. And I was even more angry that it happened at the time I needed her the most.

He had spent almost two hours still sitting at the kitchen table when he heard the floo roared to life and turned green, before Potter's head appeared in the fireplace.

'Ah Malfoy, glad you're here. There's something wrong at your shop, we're going there, be prepared to come as soon as it is safe.'

* * *

Please, review !


	17. An eventful night

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter 17 : An eventful night

Harry was getting to go to bed early when Ginny entered the bathroom.

"We need to talk, Harry." she said firmly, looking at him in the mirror.

"Sure." Harry replied, the toothbrush still in his mouth. Ginny made a grimace of disgust, seeing the toothpaste in his mouth.

"Could you be less repugnant, please ? You know I hate it when you talk with your toothbrush in the mouth." she spat viciously before going back into their bedroom.

Harry blinked a few times at her nastiness. Sure, she wasn't exactly warm to him those days, but it had never been this bad before. He had barely said one word, and she attacked him for nothing... Teddy was right, even Harry himself couldn't understand why he bothered to stay with her anymore.

And yet, he still believed it could get better. She was the only one he ever loved, the one he thought he would spent the rest of his life with, as much as he'd love not to have to bear her criticism and bad temper, he couldn't picture his life without his family complete. He didn't want his children away from one of their parents. Though, now that they were all at Hogwarts, this excuse didn't make much sense anymore.

He finished his bedtime ritual and went to the bedroom to find Ginny sat at the further side of the bed, her legs hanging, her back to him.

"So, what do you wanna talk about ?" he asked her calmly, trying not to make a start at his voice.

"I _"

She sighed loudly when she was interrupted by a patronus coming to stand in front of Harry.

"_Harry, we got a firecall, someone noticed something weird at Malfoy's shop. You should come and see for yourself." _Teddy's voice announced, before the bluish wolf disappeared.

They both stayed silent for a moment, Harry waiting for Ginny to react. When she hasn't said anything almost five minutes later, he sighed and went to the wardrobe to get clean robes and get ready to leave. That's when she decided to let her opinion known, snorting loudly her displeasure.

"Ginny_"

"No, don't !" she whispered coldly.

"I've got to go, you know that." he replied trying not to let the anger take the best of him.

"You don't !" she exclaimed, standing up. "You don't have to go, you choose to ! You could stay ! You could stay at_"

"It's my job, Ginny." he cut her, rising his voice to shut her up.

"And I'm your wife ! Your family, do you even care about us at all ?" she yelled, waving her arms around her hand with anger.

Harry just stared her down, until she stopped moving and just looked at him.

"You don't ever say that again. Of course I care about you all. You're my family and I love... I love our children, and don't say that I don't spend time with them. But, yes, Ginny, the both of us grew apart, but it was long before I started getting more involved in my job."

She shook her head, not wanting to let him keep going. She pointed her finger furiously at him.

"You_"

"I'm not saying it's not my fault, Ginny. I'm just saying, it's been going on for a long time. And I think_"

"We should stop. We're done, aren't we ?" she asked, calm and her voice softer than ever.

Harry sighed, passing his hand in his hair tiredly.

"I think we are." he nodded.

"You have to go, Teddy's waiting for you." she said, her voice shaky.

Ginny turned back to leave the bedroom and headed to the door, but before she was out of the room, she looked back at him.

"I wish it had worked. Us... I..."

"Me too." Harry whispered before apparating to Diagon Alley.

* * *

"What took you so long ?" asked Teddy as soon as he spotted his godfather walking up to the shop.

"Sorry. What happened ?" the older man answered, sounding exhausted.

"Are you okay ?" Teddy questioned worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't worry. So, the shop ?" he asked tilting his head toward the lighted shop, so bright in the middle of the dark street.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Teddy said sheepishly. "Uhm, the old woman who lives above the shop across from Malfoy's said she got up around nine thirty to get some tea, she usually get to bed around eight, but she has_"

"Teddy."

"Right, sorry. She got up to her kitchen and saw from her window some light in the shop, which she knew was weird, because the lights are never on after the shop close. She looked more closely and waited for a few minutes and saw a short, corpulent man, dark hair. She didn't see anything else, no particular details in the man's appearance. She firecalled the Office to inform us about what she saw, and I came with Pattin. We found the shop ravaged, the shelves are all down, the ingredients to sell crushed on the floor, the vials broken."

Harry frowned. It was weird, for sure. And hopefully related to the case, not just someone who got mad after reading all those articles about how evil Malfoy is, and all the bad he's done during the war...

"Is that all ?"

Teddy nodded, pointing to a group of four people, three men and a woman, all dressed up so there wasn't an inch of their skin visible.

"We couldn't get into the shop. Like I said, the vials were all broken, we don't know if there had been dangerous reaction between the potions. So for now, it isn't safe."

Harry sighed, shaking his head. It really was a bad day...

"Alright, I'll go to the office to firecall Malfoy and inform him of what happened and ask him to be ready to come as soon as it is safe to go into the shop.

* * *

Three hours later, it was one o'clock and they were finally able to get into the Malfoy's shop. Harry has gotten back to the office to go get him and then apparated him here. He was exhausted and couldn't wait to be in his bed, until he remembered his discussion with Ginny and then he dreaded to go home. _'Not that it matters right now, Harry.' _

He went to the doorway of the shop and looked over the damage that was made. It was hard to believe only one person did all this. Like Teddy said, all the shelves were completely destroyed, wood shattered everywhere, as well as glass from the vials, the potions has been cleaned up so there wouldn't be any incident, the ingredients were still scattered all around the floor. Saying it was a mess didn't even begin to cover it.

It would be difficult to get any clues or evidences in all that.

He step towards the back door until he heard a gasp behind and turned around to see Malfoy looking shocked, his mouth agape, his eyes wide open. He was clearly having difficulty to breath.

"Malfoy, I'm sorry but... You're gonna have to tell us if there is anything missing, or destroyed for a purpose."

The man nodded absent-mindedly, probably not hearing what Harry said to him, horrified at what he was seeing. Harry could understand, it was how when he first realized that he didn't love Ginny anymore, more than a year ago, a few months after become the Head-Auror.. The feeling that all your life has now gone to nothing, and that you're not sure you can get the pieces back together.

Here for the blond man, it was really all his life that had been attacked. This shop was the illustration of everything he had done to redeem himself, the only thing that made people accept him back in the society. And everything was destroyed, crushed to nothing in a few hours...

Teddy put a hand on the Potions Master, who turned his head to him questioningly.

"Wha ?" he asked, his voice slurred.

"I'm sorry, sir." Teddy said softly.

"Of course, you are !" yelled Malfoy, jerking Teddy's hand off violently.

Teddy stepped back, baffled, his hands up.

"Of course, you're sorry ! You really want me to believe that crap ?!"

Harry came back to where they were, wanting to try to calm the Slytherin.

"Malf_"

"Oh, are you sorry, too ? Don't bullshit me Potter, you hate me, I'm sure you're gloating as all the others, Potty !" he said, stepping up to the raven-haired and poking his chest with his index.

"Everyone hates me ! Why wouldn't they ? I'm a fucking Death Eater, right ? As if I ever wanted to be my fucking father, it's just all fuck_"

He stopped himself and brought a hand to his cheek, where Harry had slapped him.

"Malfoy, I'm... I'm so sorry." he said horrified at what he had done.

Malfoy stared at him, blankly.

"It's fine." he whispered. "Let's just do this, but I'm quite drunk, so I don't know if I'll be able to do much."

* * *

They hadn't found anything. The lounge had suffered the same fate as the shop, but the lab hadn't been visited. They had search for magical signatures but found none. All they had was the old woman's description of the man she saw getting out of the shop.

It was now almost three thirty and Harry was more exhausted than ever. He looked at Malfoy who was sitting on the green chair in the lounge in the middle of all the parchments torn covering the floor. He looked lost, completely distraught. He had confirm that nothing was missing and then just stare there, staring at nothing, breaking down inwardly, without showing anything. But Harry was fooled. He could see the pain on the man's face, his desperation like in sixth year, before their duel in the bathroom.

"Are you okay ?" he asked him.

"I don't know..." he answered with a frail voice. "At least I'm not drunk anymore." he added, trying to smile, but only made a painful grimace.

"Will you need help to tidy everything up here ?" Harry asked him.

"It's fine, you don't need to worry about that, I'll do it with Sarah and Oreste." he said. "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean..."

Harry shook his head to make him stop.

"It's alright. You were shocked and hurt and drunk, I understand. Are you ready to go home ?"

He looked down and closed his eyes, keeping them tightly shut. Harry wondered why he wouldn't want to go home, but he understood. He didn't want to go there himself.

He heard someone clear their throat behind him and saw Teddy entering the house.

"We're done here, Harry. The others are leaving. Do you need anything, both of you ?"

"Well, I'm quite embarrassed to ask but, uhm, do you have room in your flat ?"

* * *

AN : What do you think ? Please review !


	18. The notebook

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks for the reviews and to those who added that story to their favourites or follows it !

* * *

Chapter 18 : The notebook

"So, what are you doing in my flat ?"Teddy asked as he poured two glasses of Firewhiskey, standing in his kitchen-living room. It wasn't a large flat, there was only one bedroom, with a bathroom and this somehow spacious room where there was the kitchen, the living room and his office all at once. But it was enough for him.

Harry sighed, his head bent over the table.

"Ginny wanted to talk and could barely start her first sentence when your patronus came in to ask me to come." he said tiredly.

"I'm sorry." Teddy said, sadly.

Harry shook his head, looking up to his godson, a small sad smile on his lips. He took the glass Teddy was handing him.

"It's fine. Actually, maybe it was better that way..."

"What do you mean ?" the metamorphmagus asked, frowning slightly while sitting down across from his godfather.

"We got into a fight, and we both admitted that..." he started breathing more loudly as though he was trying to clam himself. And he was really, the idea of losing what he had had for years, not only his wife, but the routine, the sense of normalcy. And his children. He didn't want to lose them because he and Ginny will probably break up clearly next time they see each other. He didn't want them to be in their mother's custody, or because they'll hate him for changing their whole life, taking away their everything they had known until then.

"I see." Teddy said softly. "Is it really what you want ? I mean, I know I've made my point of view clear on that matter, but is this what _you _want ?"

"Yes." replied Harry, not hesitating one second. "I know it's gonna be hard for the kids, the family and the both of us too, but I believe it's the only thing to do. You were right, we aren't happy, and it couldn't we can't keep going like this, it would have killed us inside.

"Alright. So I guess you want the sofa for tonight. Or more like this morning..." he added looking up at the clock on the wall. It was past four am.

"Very much, please." he said, amusement in his voice. "Isn't it ridiculous that a grown man has to ask his barely out of teenage years godson to crash at his place for the night ?" he smiled, though it wasn't bitter as one would have thought, just dejected.

"It's not ridiculous, Harry. I understand you can't go back home, now, and I don't think Uncle Ron would be really happy to see you at this hour on the door step, taking his sleep away from him, and Aunt Hermione would nag you until you spill everything out, taking your sleep away."

Harry chuckled. He was right though, that was exactly what they would do. Besides, he thought it would be better to talk to Ginny about it again first, taking their time, and then tell his best friends together. It would make things easier if they saw that Harry and Ginny both wanted out of their marriage, that it wasn't a one-sided decision imposed on the other.

He brought his glass to his lips and realized it was empty. He reached out for the bottle but Teddy was quicker.

"You're not here to drink all my alcohol, Uncle Harry..." he teased. "We should get some sleep, though, it's gonna be hard to wake up tomorrow."

"Don't tell me." Harry groaned, cradling his head in his hands, elbows on the table. "I don't think we'll ever find who's trying to frame Malfoy, and what happened tonight was probably unrelated to the case anyway... And everyone looks at me weirdly when I ask for a briefing on the case, like I have grown another head, or something."

"Okay." Teddy said slowly, as though speaking to not so intelligent person. "The couch is comfortable enough, I've already fell asleep on it and spent the night, I was fine the next day. I'll get you a blanket and a T-shirt, I guess you don't have one on you."

Teddy went to his bedroom and disappeared in it for a moment before returning with a warm looking blanket and a red T-shirt that he put down on the couch and then turned to the older man who looked like the earth had stopped turning.

"It's gonna be fine, Harry." Teddy said gently as not to startle the man.

Harry looked at him, uncertain.

"It's gonna be fine." Teddy kept going. "The case, with Ginny and the kids, and even the couch."

Harry lips twitched at that.

"Thanks, Teddy. You shouldn't have to do all that, though."

"It's normal. You would have done the same for me. Goodnight, Harry." he added to make sure his godfather wouldn't keep arguing.

"Night, Teddy."

* * *

Harry startled when he heard his door open suddenly. He had apparently dozed off without noticing. Teddy's couch had actually been comfortable enough, but Harry's mind didn't want to shut down to let him fall asleep, so he had tossed around for quite some time before he finally lost consciousness.

His wiped his mouth with his hand, to make sure there was no drool, and looked up at who woke him up by coming in. Malfoy was staring at him, amused.

"Hello, Potter." he greeted politely.

"Malfoy." Harry replied in the same tone. "What is it ?"

Draco slumped in a chair across Harry, and the Auror just stared at him, baffled by the man's behaviour.

"It turns out there's actually something missing at the shop." he sighed loudly, sounding as tired as Harry felt, even with his involuntary nap.

"What ? Where was it ?" he asked, shaking his head to completely wake up and be efficient in his work. He took the file of the case, and the report of the previous night's events.

"It was in the lab. It_"

"The lab ?" Harry cut him short, surprise in the voice

"Yeah, it_"

"I suppose they didn't do any damage to that room because they found what they were looking for then. The attack on the shop might be related to the case, after all..."

He ceased to talk when he saw Malfoy staring at him, his eyebrows raised high on his face.

"Sorry... What is it that disappeared ?"

"A notebook in which Oreste kept the results of his research on the cure we're working on."

"Isn't there just one notebook for all of your experiments at the shop ? Have you lost everything ?"

"Yes, there's a notebook for the lab, but as Oreste was also working at home, he had one himself, from what he said. He couldn't have had taken the shop's notebook at home. And the people looking for our research results would have thought that Oreste's was the notebook in which we wrote everything down"

Harry nodded, taking notes.

"What did it look like ?"

"He said it was about 8 inches by 12, cover in black leather with nothing special on it." Malfoy said dejected.

He looked worse than Harry. He hard dark circles under the eyes, he was even paler than usual, his hands were slightly shaking.

"Are you okay ?"Harry asked him.

Malfoy sighed and shook his head to wake himself up.

"My shop's been destroyed, I won't be able to open for weeks, because I have to buy new shelves, redo the lounge, buy new ingredients to sell, because those scattered on the floor would be too dangerous to use, and I have to brew again all the potions that were for sale. I..." he took a breath to calm himself, not to get overwhelmed by it all, as he had been the night before, when he went home after the night at the shop. "And while we're doing all this, we can't focus on the cure, and I heard three other people died yesterday and in the night. Besides, my wife had to choose last night to get all bitchy on me and even on Scorpius..."

Harry chuckled, ironic, considering that Ginny had chosen that night as well.

"I guess all that happened those last weeks has begin to take its toll on her, Malfoy, it can't be easy." he tried to say reassuringly but Malfoy sent him a murderous glare.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it... Well I didn't want to offend you..."

"It's taking its toll on everyone Potter. Yesterday your godson and I had to tell the truth to my son because he said he would move from the lounge as long as he didn't have clear answers." he said a fond smile on the lips. But then the smile disappeared as he thought of the dinner the previous day. "And Astoria took her frustration out on our son, for something that don't even matter... I hope your wife takes it better when she'll hear about it."

"Hear about what ?" Harry asked shortly, confused about what Malfoy was talking about.

The blond man's eyes widen when he realized what he had let slip. His son was going to kill him.

"I... Uhm, nothing, Potter." he said lamely.

"Malfoy, what are you talking about ?" Harry asked firmly.

Draco winced when he realized that the other man wouldn't just let it go.

"Our sons are friends."

"Al, but he never told me anything !" Harry exclaimed gobsmacked.

"That was the point, Potter. They didn't want anyone to know, so no one would say anything mean to them."

"You're sure ?" Harry asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend the man, but surprised to realize that his son had hidden something from him.

But Malfoy laughed at the question, his features lightening up for the first time since he left work the day before with his son.

"Well, he told me a lot of stories, so I dare hope he hadn't lied about all this..."

* * *

"Something's actually missing, at Malfoy's shop." Harry said as he approached Teddy's cubicle. "The assistant's notebook about the research for the cure they were working on."

"Okay. It won't help much though..." Teddy said, looking down at the parchment he was holding. He frowned, like he was trying to decipher something, but then smiled fondly.

"What's it ?" Harry asked, pointing to the parchment.

"A letter from Gran. Says she might be staying in France a little longer. I'm glad she's having a good time, enjoying herself now that she doesn't have to raise a moody teenager."

"Yeah, whatever. What do you think we should do now ? Focus on the attack on the shop, taking the risk that it isn't related to the case, or not put much attention into it, and letting the culprits go if they are the one who did it ?"

"I'd like to go over the suspect list again, see if we hadn't missed anything before. We haven't got much, we'll have to do with that."

"Alright, do you have time to look through some files despite being the master of us all ?" he teased, waving his arms around to cover the whole room, showing all his colleagues.

Harry chuckled at his childishness, and held out his hand.

"Oh gosh, you have time. I knew that it was all a pretense, you don't do anything at all that big office of yours, aside from napping of course, that's really important, having nap and_ Ouch !" he cried, louder that needed, when Harry whacked him lightly on the top of his head. "Malfoy passed by me and asked me if it was usual to find you asleep in your office, I just couldn't let it go, Harry, it was too good a chance to tease you. I mean, maybe you're getting to old for the job_ Hey ! Stop doing that !"

"Then stop teasing your boss and go back to work, Auror Lupin." Harry said amused. "And stop yelling that loud, even Ron didn't and trust me, Hermione hit harder."

"You know, Harry, there are some things children don't want to know about their family." he said turning slightly green, Harry wondering whether it was on purpose.

* * *

"Alright, so for now, our three main suspects are Mickeal Pierce, James Tucker and Rudolf Hermann, though none of them correspond to the description of the man Mrs Peterson saw leaving the shop." Harry summed up after a few hours.

"Yeah, but they could have hired someone to do it. Or maybe went polyjuiced as someone else. I mean, they're potions masters after all." Teddy replied.

"Can you think of someone else ?"

"Well, like you said, they are the main suspects, but it doesn't mean that one of them is our culprit."

"True." Harry sighed, passing a hand through his already messy hair. "Did you know that Al was friend with Scorpius Malfoy ?"

Teddy shifted in his chair, ill-at-ease, though he didn't know why. Maybe he was afraid Harry would like it and ask Al not to hang out with the blond boy anymore.

"I only found out yesterday, when Malfoy's son blurted it out without thinking much." he said trying to sound casual.

"Oh. I thought maybe Al had told you about it. I was surprised to hear it, I didn't think Al was hiding something this big from me."

Teddy smiled gently at his godfather's expression, it was as though someone had taken away his favourite toy.

"Can you blame him ? I mean, I know you always made clear that you didn't hate Malfoy and the the past was only just that, but it's not the same for Uncle Ron or Ginny, and I guess he was afraid of people's reaction to the news, that some would try to stop them from being friend. Scorpius seemed to really care about him."

"I know. That some might not take it kindly, but it's not something a thirteen years old boy should worry about." he said dejected.

"Oh no, of course not. He should worry about madmen trying to kill them off since he was one..."

"Is it Harry Potter's day or something ?"

"No, that's on the 31st of July, we're in December..."

* * *

AN : Harry and Teddy together are always fun to right...

Anyway does anyone have any idea who the culprits are ? Who's trying to frame Malfoy or who destroyed the shop ?

Please, review !


End file.
